


The Ground

by ASW (ASWfics)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Just wait for it, Multi, POV First Person, Romance, Slow Burn, Sort of? - Freeform, bc why not, but only a slight dash of angst, i put anya and niylah together, no-one important dies, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-09-25 02:30:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 54,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17112725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASWfics/pseuds/ASW
Summary: Clarke Griffin gets rudely awoken in the middle of the night in her cell on The Ark. After a rushed explanation of what's going on, she's ushered to the dropship to descend down to Earth with the other delinquents. She naturally takes on the role of leading her people and learns how to survive.But a pair of unfamiliar eyes are watching her every move.Clarke ends up meeting Anya and learns the Grounder way of living, before eventually meeting Lexa.Together, Skaikru and the Grounders, they find themselves on different adventures and dangers, but also exploring fun and light times, and eventually lust and love.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you all, this is my first fic so please be patient with me. I posted this on Wattpad first.
> 
> I’ll try to update frequently and I hope you’ll enjoy it.
> 
> If you have any questions or suggestions let me know!
> 
> I promise, no-one important dies.

Clarke's POV

I wake up to someone grabbing my shoulders and shaking me roughly. "Wake up, Clarke! Please wake up!" I jolt up in panic. Why am I being woken up? I'm not being floated for another few months, right? I relax slightly when I notice it's my mom. It's hard to see in the dark, since it's in the middle of the night, but I know that voice and the touch of her hands as no other.

 

"Mom? What's going on? What are you doing here?" My voice is raspy. I haven't spoken much since I was thrown into the sky box. There must be something bad going on for my mom to risk getting caught at breaking into my cell in the middle of the night.

 

"You need to get up. Now. They're sending The 100 down to Earth to see if it's safe, including you. I've managed to get here before the guards so I can say goodbye and get you to the others." Her voice cracks slightly and I can tell she is holding back tears.

 

I get up and hug her tightly, trying to process what she just told me. "It's okay mom, I'll be safe" I whisper, trying to hide the fact I'm on the verge of tears as well. I do not succeed entirely.

 

Mom pulls back out of the hug and cups my face with her hands. "I know you will. You're strong. You're a leader, Clarke. Just like your dad. I know you will be amazing down there."

 

I give her sad smile, knowing getting send down to Earth is very risky. We're both crying at this point. I pull her back into a tight hug. "I love you Mom" I breathe out.

 

"I love you too Clarke. Come on, we need to go."

 

Mom grabs my hand and squeezes it lightly before opening the door. As soon as the door opens, I see people rushing around, pushing other kids, I assume are also delinquents, towards Mecha Station. The guards are not being very gentle to say the least. I'm glad my mom got here before any of the guards did.

 

Mom pulls on my hand as we start walking. I notice we're going a different direction than the guards are. "Mom, what are you doing? The guards are going that way?"

 

"I'll explain everything in a bit" she looks at me and tries to give me a comforting smile but it's not really working.

 

After we turn around a few corners and we don't hear any guards anymore, Mom slows down her pace. "Can you explain now?" I almost whisper, being aware that someone could be able to hear us.

 

"Yes, the reason you are being sent down is because The Ark is out of options. As you know, we're running low on oxygen, sending The 100 down will give us the opportunity to see if Earth is survivable. As soon as we know it is, we'll come down too."

 

I stop in my tracks and look at her in shock. I know that The Ark's oxygen system was failing because Dad found out and told me. He wanted to warn the others but our beloved Chancellor Jaha did not share his thoughts. Jaha floated him for trying to spread word, he threw me in the Sky Box because I shared my dad's knowledge and wanted to spread word as well. If Jaha could, he would've floated me. He tried, but wasn't allowed since I'm not 18 yet.

 

"So we're being used as test animals? What if we all die down there as soon as we open the doors?" I say angrily.

 

"I tried stopping them honey, but I stood no chance against The Council. I'm sorry" She looks at me with tears in her eyes. I know this isn't her fault, I'm just mad that 100 kids are being used as test subjects which could end up in all of us dying.

 

I squeeze her hand softly "I know mom, I'm sorry, this isn't on you. But why are we going the other way?"

 

We continue to walk as she explains "I want you to meet someone before you're getting sent down. It's impor——— " "Hey Abby, over here!" A girl with brown hair peeks her head out of a door and waves at us.

 

"Raven, keep your voice down." Mom grumbles at the brown-haired girl, who seems to know my mom.

 

"Right, sorry Miss G". Miss G? They must be close if she has given my mom a nickname. "You must be Clarke, right? I'm Reyes, Raven Reyes. Youngest Zero-G mechanic in 52 years. Nice to meet you". She cocks up a confident eyebrow and puts 2 fingers to her forehead as if she is saluting me.

 

I chuckle softly and smile "Yes, I'm Clarke. Nice Bond reference by the way" giving her a wink.

 

Raven beams at me "You got that reference? Awesome!" she turns to my mom "I'm liking your kid already Miss G".

 

Mom rolls her eyes but has an amusing smile on her face "Alright now let's get serious, shall we?"

 

Raven grins while my mom starts explaining to me why she wanted me to meet Raven first. "Since Raven is a Zero-G mechanic———" "Uhm correction, the best Zero-G mechanic" Raven interrupts my mom. Mom glares at her for being interrupted but Raven doesn't flinch under her glare. Impressive, most people instantly apologise when my mom glowers at them like that.

 

Mom continues "Raven is a genius, she knows basically everything about anything mechanical. She will be sent down as well. As soon as you guys are on the ground, you two need to work on making a radio so we can have contact. I know that you will start leading the rest of the kids when you get down Clarke, that's why I wanted you to meet Raven first, so you both know on what to do and not be running around like headless chickens, alright?"

 

I'm kind of proud to know my mom sees me as a leader and is willing to put that responsibility on me. It does feel like a lot of pressure though, leading 100 kids who are about to be sent down to Earth won't be easy. I nod at her words "I understand. I'll try to keep everyone in check as well."

 

"I know you will Clarke" Mom chuckles "I wouldn't expect anything less."

 

I give her a soft smile but before I can say anything, Raven speaks up "Alright, we need to go now if we don't want to get knocked out before being thrown on that dropship."

 

Mom and I nod at her and we start moving. Mom has her grip on my wrist with one hand and with the other hand she grips Raven's wrist. We get to the dropship and we see other kids being rushed in. Some of them are knocked out and are carried inside. They must've put up a fight or something.

 

Before we're being rushed in as well, I turn to my mom and give her one last tight hug. "I love you Mom" she hugs back "I love you too honey."

 

We pull apart so she can give Raven a hug as well "Take care of each other okay?" Raven smiles softly "Will do, I promise"

 

We're interrupted by a guard pushing us inside the dropship, I give my mom one last glance over my shoulder before going in. She has a sad expression on her face.

 

I feel Raven's hand search for my mine as she gives me a sad smile. I grab it and give her a reassuring smile back. I'm surprised by how comfortable she is with touching me while we just met. I don't mind it though, she seems like a really nice and trustworthy girl. And since Mom trusts her a lot, and settled us up with an important mission so to speak, I think we're gonna get a lot closer.

 

"Sit down and buckle up!" A guard yells at us. We sit down next to each other and buckle up. We check on each other to make sure both of us are buckled up properly. Shortly after everyone sits down and is buckled up properly, the guards leave the ship and the door hisses as it closes shut. The dropship detaches from The Ark and before we know it, we're descending down to Earth.

 

Jaha's face pops up on a screen "Prisoners of The Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable." I feel myself fill up with hatred at the sight of his face and the sound of his voice.

 

"Ugh what a dick. He can go float himself." Raven grumbles. I chuckle softly "I agree completely."

 

Suddenly the dropship begins to shake badly. We crash down and because of the enormous impact, most of us are unconscious, including me.

 

After not too long, I suppose, I wake up. I reach up for the back of my head, rubbing it. I feel something wet and pull my hand back to see what it is. There's blood on my fingers. Damn, we crashed down harder than I thought. I look over to Raven who's also waking up. She has a few scratches on her face. She opens her eyes and groans "Gods, so much for a warm welcome." I chuckle at her and look around. Almost everyone is waking up and most of us have a few minor injuries. I'll be sure to check them out later and make sure everyone is okay. Raven and I unbuckle ourselves and get up to help other people unbuckle. When everyone is unbuckled, we walk over to the door of the dropship. A boy who looks too old to be on here, is standing in front of it, reaching for the lever to open the door.

 

"Stop!" I yell, making everyone look at me "The air could be toxic" The boy chuckles slightly and looks at me "If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway." I blink at his words. He has a point.

 

"Bellamy?" A girl makes her way through the crowd gathering us. "Oh my god, look how big you are." The boy looks up at the girl, tears in his eyes. They go up to each other and hug. I think they're siblings. I've heard about Octavia, she was the girl under the floor.

 

"What the hell are you wearing? A guard's uniform?" Octavia grabs the jacket Bellamy is wearing.

 

"I borrowed it so I could get on the ship. Someone has got to keep an eye on you." He smirks. Octavia smiles back at him and they hug again.

 

After they pull back out of the hug, Bellamy pulls the lever, opening the door. The door hisses and opens, revealing a beautiful forest surrounding us. There's green all around us.

 

We all stand in awe and take in the beauty around us. Octavia is the first to step out. She breathes in the air. She puts her arms up in excitement.

 

"We're back bitches!"

 

At that, the others run outside as well, cheering and dancing around. For a moment, a lot of worries we had on The Ark slip away. Everyone is happy for the first time -I assume- in awhile.

 

I grin widely while stepping outside. I take a deep breath closing my eyes and breathe in as much air as I can. I've never felt more free than in this very moment. I feel an arm wrap around my shoulder. I open my eyes to see Raven smiling at me. She doesn't speak. We're both looking around in awe and taking in the beautiful place we just crashed into. I think everyone is amazed by the nature surrounding us. We're not used to seeing so much green. There were a few plants on The Ark, but it's nothing compared to this.

 

It takes awhile for everyone to calm down. The others look kind of sheepish, not knowing what to do next. I step up to a higher platform so everyone can see me "Alright, listen up guys! I know this is very overwhelming but we need to set up a camp and make this place safe. We need to set up tents for everyone to sleep in. A few can sleep in the dropship, we can set up an infirmary in there too. We also need food, water and a fire. We'll start building a wall soon enough to keep the danger out. Agreed?"

 

Most of the kids nod along but I see a few skeptical looks thrown at me. A boy I think is named Murphy speaks up "Why would we listen to you? You're not our leader."

 

I roll my eyes. "Right, I'm not your leader, but I don't see anyone else speak up. So unless you have a better idea, I suggest we just stick to my plan."

 

Bellamy stands up next to me on the platform "She is right! And I think it's wise that we listen to her. That's Clarke Griffin, daughter of Dr. Abby Griffin. She knows what she is talking about, alright?"

 

I'm suprised that he knows who I am. But I'm even more surprised he is on my side. The other kids seem to have some sort of respect for him. When there are still a few mumbles, Octavia and Raven stand up next to us as well "We agree with them" they both nod at us. The rest of the kids finally seem to accept it.

 

Raven, Octavia, Bellamy and I are dividing the people up into smaller groups, each group having their own 'mission'. Bellamy and Octavia are in charge over the groups that take care of the food, water and fire. As much as I would like to go with them to make sure the food and the water they take back is safe, Raven needs me with her to take care of setting up tents and the infirmary. I told Bellamy to bring the food and water to me first when they get back, so I can check if it's safe enough for us.

 

Raven and I give out orders to a few people on what to do. They seem to accept our orders surprisingly well. Raven and I help them of course. I notice Raven is kind of limping, I know she is trying to hide it and I think the others are not able to tell that she actually is limping, but I've learned a lot from Mom and I can't be fooled that easily. I'll be sure to check it out later.

 

When all the sleeping tents are set up, Raven and I start working on setting up the infirmary inside the dropship. When we're done, I grab Raven's arm and pull her along to a more private area.

 

"If you want to make out, you can just ask me, Princess." Raven smirks at me. I groan at the nickname.

 

I roll my eyes and gently slap her shoulder "You wish, perv." I give her an amusing look. I nod to her leg "You're hurting, aren't you? Since when?"

 

Raven frowns at me and opens her mouth to protest, but before she can say anything I cut her off. "I know you're in pain. You may have the others fooled, but not me. Now be honest with me, how bad is it and since when is it hurting?"

 

Raven sighs and looks down at the ground. "Since we crashed down..." I look at her wide-eyed "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I wouldn't have let you carry all those heavy things."

 

Raven looks up at me and gives me a sad smile. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I don't like being seen as weak. I don't want others to do the work for me when I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself."

 

I grab her hands and look her in the eyes "Raven, you're not weak for pointing out when you're in pain. I know you're not weak, Hell, I've known you for a day and I already know you're stronger than the rest of us. But continuing to work while you're in pain will only make it worse and we can't have our best Zero-G Mechanic hurting, now can we?" I wink at her when I say the last sentence.

 

Raven smiles at me. "You're right. Thank you Princess."

 

I smile back at her "It's the truth. Now tell me, how bad is it?" I nod to her leg again.

 

"Not too bad, I can still walk, it just stings a little bit. I'll tell you when it gets worse, I promise." Raven squeezes my hand lightly to reassure me she means what she says.

 

I smile "Alright, thank you. Now let's get started on your workroom."

 

Raven grins at me when I say that. "My own workroom? Hell yeah!" She puts her fist up in the air and smiles widely. I chuckle at her and pull her along to where we're gonna set up her workroom.

 

A few other kids help us with setting up the workroom. Raven mostly tells us where to put things and how to set it up, while we do the heavy lifting. Not because her leg is hurting, but because she has a better view on how to set it up. She can move things around herself if she wants to change things, she is strong enough (and stubborn enough) to do so. We decided to make some sort of bedroom for her attached to the workroom so she has everything she needs in one place.

 

Once we're done, we decide to rest for a bit. We've been working all day and I know we both need a well deserved break. I sit down on a log and gesture for Raven to sit down next me. She sits down and rests her head on my shoulder. I let it be. We just sit there in silence, watching a few kids building up a fire, while others are resting as well.

 

After awhile, the calming silence is interrupted by a boy walking up to us, flickering his eyes between me and Raven while having a smug expression on his face. Ugh perv. "Hey Rae, having fun?" He wiggles his eyebrows at us.  
Raven groans. "If you're only here to be annoying, then I suggest you leave us alone Finn."

 

Finn chuckles. "Whatever you want Rae." He turns to me and makes a bow "Your Highness." He walks off with a stupid smirk on his face.

 

Raven turns to me "Ugh sorry about that. Spacewalker is my ex. Found out he was cheating on me so I dumped him. He is a dick anyway."

 

Finn is known as Spacewalker because he decided to waste a month worth of oxygen while making a little spacewalk. Dumbass.

 

I smile gently "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry he cheated on you, you don't deserve that. But yes, he really is a dick, back on The Ark he tried to flirt with me."

 

Raven laughs "He tried to flirt with you? He is delusional for thinking he would ever have a chance with you!"

 

I blush a little at her kind words. "Well I don't understand he had a chance with you either." I murmur and nudge her side. I can see her cheeks getting red but I don't comment on it. She puts her head down on my shoulder. It doesn't take long for us to both doze off.

 

I wake up after awhile, feeling something poking my forehead softly. I open my eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness and the light of the fire crackling in front of us, and see Octavia poking me with a stick while having a giant smirk on her face. I groan and grab the stick out of her hands.

 

"That was really unnecessary Octavia." I try to give her a glare but it doesn't work entirely when I'm so sleepy.

 

Octavia chuckles. "Yes, but it's funny. But now that you're awake, can you check out the food and water we brought back? Everyone is hungry and I don't think some of us can wait any longer."

 

I nod and get up. I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind eating something too. We've been working all day without having anything in our stomachs.  
I make sure to check out the water first and I quickly establish that it's safe. It doesn't take long for me to check out all the food. Most of the stuff they brought back is safe for consumption. I only had to throw away a certain type of berry which looked too suspicious to eat. Better be safe than sorry, right? I let Bellamy and Octavia know the food and water is good and they quickly get up to order some kids around to prepare the food for everyone. They managed to kill a few animals, so it seems like we're finally getting some real cooked meat tonight.

 

I grab a blanket before returning to the log Raven is still sitting on. I sit down next to her and wrap a blanket around us. She smiles at me gratefully. Not long after, Octavia and Bellamy sit down next to us as well, Bellamy sitting next to me and Octavia next to Raven. Bellamy hands us all a piece of cooked meat. I happily stuff it in my mouth. I close my eyes at the taste of it. It's really good.

 

Bellamy chuckles. "Do you need some alone time with your meat?"

 

I open my eyes to see him grinning at me. I can't blame him. It must be a funny sight when a girl like me shoves food down her throat like it's her last meal. "Sorry, it's just delicious. It's so much better than the shit we got fed back on The Ark. Thank you both for bringing this back."

 

Octavia smiles. "Well the tents are looking great. And the infirmary too. Plus I checked out that workroom and it looks awesome. And I see you've already started on building up a wall. Thank you both for that." She winks at me and nudges Raven.

 

Raven smiles proudly and moves closer to me. "We gotta start working on that radio tomorrow, okay?"

 

I nod. I'm glad she wants to do that tomorrow instead of tonight. Knowing Raven she would work all night on setting up a radio, but I'm really not up for that. We've had a long day and it seems like she shares my thoughts. We relax for the rest of the evening and eventually fall asleep around the fire.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m horrible at summaries. Anyway, Clarke meets someone interesting this chapter. Have fun reading :)

Clarke's POV 

 

Around 2 weeks have passed and things have been going surprisingly well. We've managed to settle in and most of us have accepted that this is life now. We even build a wall with a gate for our own protection. The kids seem to acknowledge me as their leader, they listen to Bellamy, Octavia and Raven as well, but the three of them always end up going to me for advice and decision-making. It's a stressful feeling to be responsible for all of them but I can handle it. 

 

Raven and I started working on setting up the radio. Well, it's mostly Raven working on it because she is the genius and me listening to her ramble about the technology. I don't mind watching her work, it's actually pretty relaxing. I mostly end up watching her work when I've had a long and tiring day. I've actually fallen asleep a few times as well. Raven luckily isn't offended by it. She knows how tired I am. 

 

Other than watching Raven work, I have been going on a lot of hunting trips with Octavia and a few others. Bellamy wasn't very fond of his little sister going into the 'scary' woods at first, but Octavia can take care of herself and he knows that. Plus, I'm with her, and I'm not gonna let anything happen to her. 

 

I've noticed since we came down here that someone or something has been watching us. I can feel it. I haven't told the others about it and I'm pretty sure they're unaware of the eyes following us. I don't know what or who is watching us, but I have a feeling in my gut I'll find out soon enough. 

 

We just got back from another hunting trip and I'm exhausted. Octavia and I had a little competition on who can kill the most animals. I worked my ass off, but I managed to win, to my surprise. It certainly helps that I made a bow that I'm surprisingly good with, while Octavia mostly uses knives to throw with and sometimes her sword she made from scratch. I gotta say I'm impressed by not only her hunting skills but also her weapon-making skills. 

 

When the gate closes behind us, Raven gets out of her workroom and walks up to us with a relieved expression on her face, happy we're back. She doesn't like to admit it, but I know she gets worried about us. 

 

She wraps me up in a hug. "Welcome back, Princess." I smile at her words and pull back. "Worried? Or did you just miss me?" 

 

Raven gently pushes my shoulder. "Shut up. I'm just glad you brought back food." I laugh, knowing she is joking. 

 

"Clarke, go get some rest. I'll make sure the food gets stored away." Raven says gently, probably noticing how tired I am. 

 

I nod at her and smile before walking off. Behind me I hear Octavia and Raven ordering around some kids. I chuckle quietly. They love ordering people around. 

 

I climb on top of the dropship and continue to draw a map of this place. I have been memorising the woods and expanded the map after every hunting trip. Dad taught me how to draw maps back on The Ark. I always thought it was lame, but now I'm thankful he taught me. 

 

While I'm up there drawing the map in silence, I find myself more on edge than usual. I feel eyes piercing in my back. I look up, scanning the trees around me intently. I hear rustling on the left of me. I jolt my head to the place I heard the noise coming from. 

 

My mouth drops and I freeze in place to what I'm seeing. A man stares back at me. He's wearing armor and is camouflaged expertly, even his face. 

 

"SkaiPrisa." he nods at me. SkaiPrisa? Is he calling me SkaiPrisa? I blink at his words. Still in shock. I close my eyes and shake my head slightly. This can't be happening, right? I look back up to speak, but the man is gone. Where did he go? Do I tell the others about this?

 

"Clarke? You good up there?" I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Raven. She climbs up the dropship and flops down on her back next to me, breathing heavily. 

 

I smile at her. "Yeah, all good. Are you?" Raven nods "I'm fine. I'm sure it's not gonna take much longer for us to be able to get in contact with The Ark!" She smiles proudly. 

 

"Really?" I beam at her. "That's amazing Rae, you're the best." I smile widely. She winks at me and puts her hands behind her head. "I know." She smirks. 

 

I roll my eyes but my face is filled with amusement. I lay down on my back next to her. She automatically wraps an arm around me. I don't mind it. We've become really close but not in the way some might think. Some people think we're dating, but we see each other more as sisters. It doesn't take long for us to both fall asleep.

 

I wake up the next morning with the sun hitting on my face. I blink open my eyes, trying to let them adjust to the brightness of the sun. I groan and sit up. My neck and shoulders are stiff. Sleeping on a flat roof wasn't a great idea. I hear groaning next to me. Raven must be waking up as well. 

 

"Goodmorning Rae." I turn to look at a sleepy Raven furrowing her eyebrows at the sun. She looks adorable when she is sleepy and scrunching up her nose at the sun. I won't tell her that though, she'd never let me hear the end of it. 

 

She groans. "Goodmorning Princess, remind me not to sleep on a roof ever again." She says while sitting up. 

 

I chuckle and get up. "Come on, we can't be sitting on our butts all day." 

 

With that, Raven gets up as well, not looking pleased. We climb down the dropship and are greeted by Octavia and Bellamy once we're down. 

 

"Up for another hunting trip Princess?" Octavia pokes my side. I roll my eyes at the nickname everyone has seem to settled with. Raven and Octavia chuckle slightly. Bellamy is just standing there with a stupid grin on his face. 

 

"Yeah of course O, let me get my stuff." I turn to walk over to my tent but Octavia stops me. I frown at her.

 

"Already got it." She has a smile on her face and holds out my bow and a bunch of arrows. "I also got food and water with me." Octavia can be a real sweetheart sometimes. I smile at her gratefully. 

 

After hugging Raven and Bellamy, we head out to the woods. We're joined by Murphy, Monty and Jasper. Even though Murphy can be a bit of an ass, he is decent at hunting. Monty is very technical but also knows everything about plants so he'll be able to identify edible plants. And Jasper is just tagging along with Monty, his best friend. But I'm sure he's also coming along for Octavia, I think he has a bit of a crush on her. He doesn't know much about hunting, he is more of the technical stuff like Raven, but he insisted on coming along. 

 

It doesn't take long for us to kill a decent amount of animals. Monty has gathered an amazing amount of plants and Jasper is just staring at Octavia. We all get startled by a growl coming from the bushes. We freeze in our spot and hear another growl coming from the same area. I shoot an arrow at where the growl is coming from and a pissed off panther reveals itself. Shit. 

 

I come up with a solution. The rest probably won't be happy with it, but they'll thank me later. "Head back to the camp on my command. I'll distract it." I say quietly but loud enough for the others to hear me. Octavia stares at me in shock and opens her mouth in protest but I stop her before she can say anything. "Trust me O, I'll be fine. Take the food and get the others safe. I'll be back before you know it." She nods at my words but doesn't look happy about it. 

 

"Okay, ready?" I look at them and they nod in response. "Now! Move!" I shoot another arrow at the panther, making it focus on me while the others get to safety. It works. I start running the other way, away from the camp, with the panther following me. 

 

After what seems like hours of running, I still can't seem to shake the panther off. Float me. I didn't think it would be this difficult. I turn to shoot another arrow. It hits him straight in the eye. He seems even more pissed off now and growls loudly. I start running again but trip over a root of a tree sticking out. I fall face forward on the ground. I groan in pain and quickly turn so I'm on my back. The panther is getting really close. I grab my dagger and hold it out in front of me, hoping for the best. The panther leaps in the air to charge at me. I close my eyes. Right as I expect the panther to hit me with full force, I hear a thud and his body drops on my legs, dead. I open my eyes to see a dagger sticking out of his side. Where the hell did that come from? 

 

"Sis em au na gyon op (help her up)." I hear a woman speak in a language I don't understand. "Sha (Yes)." Two men nod at the woman and help me up. They're standing at both sides of me, holding my arms. 

 

The woman studies my face. She has a stoic look on her face and she looks kind of intimidating. She is wearing black armor and has black warpaint on her face. "SkaiPrisa." SkaiPrisa? Why is she calling me SkaiPrisa? That men called me that as well earlier. What is going on? The woman continues. "You are brave. You did well." She nods at me, a slight sign of respect shows in her eyes. 

 

"My name is Clarke. Who are you people?" I say, trying to stay calm. 

 

"Very well, Clarke kom Skaikru. My name is Anya, I am a General of Trikru. I will take you back to my village for now." I open my mouth in protest but she holds up her hand. "Your people will be notified of your absence." As if she is reading my mind. 

 

She turns around and starts walking, the two men are still holding my arms as they drag me along. I give in. Seeing by how accurately she threw that knife, I'm sure I'd be dead in no-time if I put up a fight. I feel a slight panic rising up in my chest. Where are these....Grounders taking me? 

 

***

 

We stop in front of a gate. I look at it in awe. I have been silent the entire way over here but I can't help to let my curiosity show. 

 

"This is TonDC, my village." Anya says with a slight undertone of amusement, probably noticing my curiosity. The gate opens when the two Grounder men shout at some guards. 

 

Village? How many people are down here? I thought no-one survived on the ground. "Your questions will be answered once we're in my tent." I startle as Anya suddenly speaks up. I was probably thinking out loud again. 

 

She gestures for me to follow her as we walk in, the gate closing behind us. My mouth drops open when I look around me. There are sturdy looking houses build out of wood and scrap metal and people are roaming the village. I feel a grin creeping up my face as I look at the people with happy expressions on their faces and kids running around. Only a few people have a more serious expression on their face but I believe they are guards. 

 

"Follow me." Anya pulls me out of my thoughts. Her face is looking stoic but I can hear that her voice is laced with pride. "I will allow you to look around and explore the village later. First, we have things to discuss." 

 

I nod and follow her. I am still trying to process everything and look around in awe as we walk. I don't notice Anya suddenly stopping and I accidentally bump against her. She turns around with a glare on her face but I can see a slight twitch in the corners of her mouth. I try not to wither under her glare and stare back into her eyes, sensing a sign of respect.

 

A guard holds open the flaps of her tent and she walks in, assuming I'm following her. I wouldn't dare not to follow, so I enter the tent right after her. The guard closes the flaps and waits outside. I assume this is normal for them. Anya sits down and gestures for me to sit down as well. I comply. 

 

"I assume you're curious as to why I brought you here, Clarke kom Skaikru. And I'm sure you have a lot of questions." She pauses shortly and I nod at her. She continues. "First, I will explain. We have been watching you and your people as soon as you came down. We had not have anyone fall down from the sky since the first Heda so we decided to watch you. The current Heda knows about your presence and I inform her about your movements. She is curious about you and will come here in 2 weeks. The war chief of this village is coming too. While we wait for them to arrive, I will train you and teach you about our ways." 

 

I don't think I have much of a choice. "Wait, your leader? I thought you were the leader?" I say as I'm still processing what she told me. 

 

"I am a General. Indra is the leader of our clan, Trikru." I nod in understanding. 

 

"And what's a Heda?" Anya seems slightly offended by my question. 

 

"She is the leader of all the 12 clans. I think she is called Commander in your language. Everyone answers to her. If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I will cut out your tongue." She glowers at me. 

 

I swallow. That is... very intense. 

 

"Wait, clans? As in multiple clans? How many people live on the ground?" 

 

"I do not know exactly, but thousands in the very least."  I stare at her with wide eyes. Everything we've been taught about Earth is wrong. 

 

The corners of her mouth twitch slightly in amusement. "Any further questions?" Anya snaps me out of my thoughts. 

 

"Uhm, why me?" I elaborate when Anya looks at me with a confused expression. "I mean, why did you choose to train me?" I frown at her. 

 

"Because you are SkaiPrisa. I have seen how you lead your people and you lead them well. They answer to you. You are not scared easily and you take on the responsibility of your people. Back in the forest, you risked your life for your people. You are a true leader, Clarke kom Skaikru." Her eyes show a sign of respect. 

 

I blink at her words and feel my cheeks burn slightly. I nod at her, flashing her a thankful smile. 

 

"Can I go see my people soon? I know you said they will be informed that I'm here, but knowing my people, they will be wary of your people. If I go to them and tell them what's going on while you accompany me, they are more likely to trust you and your people." 

 

Anya nods slowly. "Very well Clarke, that is a good idea. We will go to your people in a few days. First, I will teach you about our ways and start training you. Agreed?" 

 

I smile at Anya. "Agreed." 

 

Anya stands up and gestures for me to stand up as well. "Come with me." She says while she heads out of the tent. 

 

I follow her and we head towards another tent. She stops in front of it. "This will be your tent for now. It is provided with anything you may need." 

 

I look at the tent. It's definitely not small. "Thank you." I give Anya a smile. 

 

Anya nods at me and gestures for someone behind me to come over. A man approaches us, I recognise him as the one who was watching me while I was on top of the dropship. "Lincoln will be your personal guard. Heda would mount my head on a spike if you were to die under our watch." 

 

Before I can say anything, Anya turns to Lincoln and says something in their language. Lincoln has a serious expression on his face and nods at Anya respectfully. 

 

Anya then turns to me. "SkaiPrisa, you will have the rest of the day to explore the village and settle in. Lincoln will be by your side. If you have any questions, he will be able to answer them. Your training starts tomorrow. I will wake you when the sun comes up." She grins slightly when saying that last sentence. I feel myself getting nervous already. "I will be in my tent if you need me." She nods at both of us. 

 

I stop Anya as she turns around to walk away. She raises an eyebrow at me in confusion. I shift nervously on my feet. "Uhm, thank you Anya, if it wasn't for you I'd be dead because of that panther. So thank you, I really appreciate it." I say as I look into her eyes. She nods and gives me a really small smile. A sign of mutual respect showing in her eyes. She turns around and strides off to her tent.

 

I am a little scared for tomorrow and the coming days, but I'm also very curious and excited. I know it will not be easy. I assume training means learning how to fight, and I am certain Anya won't go easy on me. However, I'm very happy to learn their ways.

 

Lincoln and I talk about his people and their culture. The things they have experienced. Their traditions. Their language. Their enemies. He also tells me about the Maunon, they are called the Mountain Men in Gonasleng (which he taught me means English or the Warrior language. Their own language is called Trigedasleng). Apparently these people live in the mountain and they come out in special suits to protect themselves from radiation to watch The Grounders. The Maunon use 'Reapers' to kidnap more of the Grounders. Lincoln explained to me that the Reapers used to be normal Grounders, but they were turned to cannibalistic beasts, using drugs made by the Maunon.

 

Other than that, Lincoln also tells me more about their Heda. He is very passionate when he talks about the Heda, he seems to be very proud. By the way he speaks of her, I am very excited to meet her but also very nervous and scared. Lincoln has informed me about the various ways she has killed people who were disrespectful to her. 

 

Lincoln shows me around the village, introducing me to some of the people. We stop at what seems to be their medical tent. A big guy walks out and greets Lincoln happily, grasping each other's forearms. I have learned that's their way of greeting people. They speak in Trigedasleng before the big guy turns to me. 

 

"SkaiPrisa, it is an honor to meet you. I am Nyko, one of the healers of the clan." He holds out his arm for me to grasp it, to my surprise. 

 

I grasp his forearm and give him a shy smile. "It is nice to meet you too Nyko. You can call me Clarke if you want." He nods at me. "Very well, Clarke. Do you wish to go inside the medical tent?" 

 

I look at Lincoln, not wanting to make decisions that might not be approved of. He nods at me before answering. "We would like to go inside, please." 

 

"Of course. Follow me." Nyko walks back into the tent with us following him. I look around in awe as we walk in. I'm amazed by the medical supplies they work with. Nyko tells me more about the medical supplies and how he heals people. From what I can tell, he has helped a lot of people and is a respected man under his people. 

 

A grunt of pain comes from my right and I see a boy sitting on a bed, with bandages wrapped around his hand. "What happened to him?" I ask Nyko, gesturing at the boy. 

 

Nyko scoffs slightly. "The idiot got into a fight with a guard. He is doing well but one of his fingers is out of place." I frown and walk over to the boy, followed by Nyko and Lincoln. 

 

"Can I see your hand?" I ask the boy. He holds out his hand and I take the bandages off carefully. I study his hand intently, noticing how his pinky is kind of crooked. I know how to fix it but it'll be painful. 

 

"Nyko, hold his arm please?" Nyko doesn't seem to question me and complies. "Okay, this is gonna hurt. Ready?" I say as I gently stretch the boy's hand. He nods at me. "Okay. 3... 2..." I pull on his pinky, I feel a slight pop and gently let go of his pinky. It seems to be in the right place now. 

 

The boy didn't even flinch, impressive. Nyko and Lincoln however, do seem to be impressed by me. I quickly explain how I was taught stuff like this by my mother. To my surprise, Nyko offers me to let me help him in the infirmary for the following days. I'd be happy to help him. 

 

After thanking Nyko, Lincoln and I walk back over to my tent. It's getting late and I should be getting some sleep. I'm sure I'll have an eventful day tomorrow. Lincoln seems to read my mind and gives me some food before saying goodnight. I thank him gratefully. 

 

I go into my tent. I quickly put my stuff down and eat my food. I'm too tired to study my tent right now, I'll do that tomorrow. I take off my clothes and change into some clothes that Anya has probably left for me to sleep in. I get into bed and slip under the fur covers. Gods, this is so much more comfortable than back at the dropship. I close my eyes and it doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just bear with me okay? I promise future chapter will be better.
> 
> I hope you liked it tho


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suck at summaries :)

Clarke's POV

 

I feel my body slowly waking up to someone gently shaking my shoulder. "Clarke, get up."

 

I don't respond to that. 

 

"Clarke, you need to get up. I know you're awake." I groan and nuzzle my face further into the covers. Gods why does it have to be so early? I regret doing that instantly as I hear Anya sigh and feel the sudden coldness of water being thrown on me. 

 

I jolt up and glare at Anya who is looking back at me with an amused smirk. "I warned you, SkaiPrisa." I bet she was looking forward to waking me up this way.

 

"Was that really necessary?" I grumble while getting up. 

 

"Yes." Anya nods. "I've brought you some clothes and food." She nods at a plate of food and a set of black clothes on the table. "Get dressed, I will wait outside for you." She doesn't wait for me to respond and strides out of my tent. 

 

I get up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I stretch my limbs and scrunch up my nose at how my sleeping clothes are clinging on to my body. I quickly get changed into the set of clothes Anya brought me and hang up the wet clothes so it can dry. I grab some food and step outside the tent. 

 

Anya looks me over. "Good, come with me." She turns around and starts walking, assuming I'm right behind her. I fasten up my pace to catch up with her while I quickly stuff the food in my mouth. 

 

"Where are we going?" I ask curiously once I've finished my food. 

 

"The fighting ring." Anya glances over at me, not bothering to explain any further. 

 

I shrug in silence and walk alongside her until we reach the fighting ring. It's a secluded area, thankfully. I'd rather not have half the town looking at how 'SkaiPrisa' attempts to fight. 

 

Anya steps into the middle of the ring, pulling me along and placing me in front of her. She holds out her hands as targets. "Hit me." I hesitantly get into a fighting stance my dad taught me when I was younger. Feet at shoulder-width, angled so one foot is in front and the other is slightly in the back, knees slightly bend and my hands up to my face to protect myself. I punch her hands, holding back slightly. Anya seems to notice and frowns at me. 

 

"Your posture is good, but you must not hold back. I can tell you're not using all of your strength. Hit me again." 

 

I punch her hands again, this time with full force. Anya seems almost impressed, she tries to hide it, not wanting to boost my ego just yet, but I can tell by how her eyebrows twitch. She nods at me. "Again." I punch again. Anya makes me punch her hands over and over again and I can start to feel my arms burning slightly. 

 

Once Anya is satisfied with the way I punch, she teaches me a few combos. Also making me do them over and over again. 

 

After what feels like hours of training, Anya finally gives me some time to rest. I sit on the ground, leaning against the fencing around the fighting circle. 

 

"Tired already?" I hear a voice say coming from the left. I look over to see Lincoln walking up to us with what seems to be food and water in his hands. 

 

I smile at him. "Hey Lincoln." I say as he sits down next to me, handing me some food and water. I happily shove the food in my mouth and down it with the water he gave me. 

 

I hear Lincoln chuckle silently. I look at him with a confused expression. "You eat like it's your last meal." He says, looking back at me with a slightly disgusted but amused expression. 

 

"I'm sorry, the food here is very good and back on The Ark we just had bland food which tasted like nothing." 

 

Lincoln nods in understanding. "Do not worry, I do not mind, but I will say you might need to change the way you eat once Heda is here. She is used to certain manners." 

 

"Thank you for letting me know." I'm really curious to see this Heda they all speak so highly of. 

 

"Clarke, let's continue." Anya says, waiting in the circle for me to get up. I stand up and make my way over to her. I get into the fighting stance again, waiting for Anya to tell me what she wants me to do. "Kick me." She says as she holds her arms out a certain way for me to kick her. I comply and kick, using all my strength. I smile proudly when Anya steps back slightly at the force of my kick. Of course Anya makes me kick over and over again, teaching me a some combos and making me do them over and over again also. 

 

We train until the afternoon. Anya testing my strength and stamina various ways. She even made me do push-ups while she was sitting my back. Anya definitely doesn't like to go easy on me, which I do appreciate in a way. 

 

"You may have the rest of the day off, Clarke. I'd suggest you get some rest. I will bring food to your tent later." I nod and thank her before walking back to my tent. I feel my body aching. Gods, the following days won't be easy. 

 

Lincoln joins me as I walk over to my tent. "You did well Clarke, I was impressed. And I could tell Anya was impressed too. You will certainly be a good warrior once you're done with your training." He nods respectfully at me. 

 

"Thank you Lincoln." I smile, trying to hide my surprise. I didn't think I was that impressive. 

 

When we reach my tent, I thank him once again before going inside. It's a weird feeling knowing he is standing outside to guard me. He's been assigned to protect me with his life, which kind of scares me, I don't want him to lose his life over me.

 

I flop down on my bed and close my eyes as I start to doze off. I didn't think I would be this exhausted after training, but Anya tired me out extremely. I'm sure I will get used to it soon enough, but I know my body will be aching for the next few days. 

 

I open my eyes when I hear the flaps of my tent rustle. I see Anya walking in with a tray filled with food. I sit up instantly, smiling at how good the food smells. 

 

Anya sets the food down on the table. "If you will allow me, I would like for us to eat together." She looks at me, her eyes softer than usual. 

 

"Of course, I wouldn't mind some company." I say as I sit down at the table. I frown when I realise something. "What about Lincoln? Shouldn't he be eating as well?"

 

"I can ask him to join us if you would like?" 

 

"Yes please. That would be lovely." Anya nods at me and walks out of the tent. She walks back in a few seconds later with Lincoln right behind her. 

 

They both sit down at the table and we begin to eat together. During dinner, Anya and Lincoln ask me questions about me and my people. I explain everything to them, including what's happening on The Ark and the reason we were sent down here. Anya doesn't look too pleased when I tell her about the rest of The Ark coming down as well supposedly. I don't blame her, I wouldn't like people invading my land either. 

 

They seem interested when I tell them about the medical technology we had back on The Ark and the fact my mom taught me a lot of medical stuff. 

 

"That explains how you knew what to do with that boy's hand." Lincoln says, nodding in understanding. 

 

"Nyko told me he offered you to help him, correct?" Anya questions.

 

I nod. "Yes, I would like to help, if that's okay?" 

 

Anya flashes me a small smile. "You may help Nyko on days we are not training, good?" 

 

I smile back. "Yes, thank you." 

 

We spent the rest of the evening telling each other about our people and the differences in cultures and traditions. Anya and Lincoln both seem interested in what I tell them, as well as I am interested in what they tell me. 

 

We clean up when we notice it's getting late. Lincoln thanks me and wishes me goodnight before heading out of my tent, leaving Anya and me alone. 

 

"What is the plan for tomorrow?" I ask, probably already knowing the answer I'm gonna get. 

 

"We won't be training tomorrow, your muscles need to rest. Instead, we'll be getting you new clothes and armor. After that, I'll start teaching you Trigedasleng." 

 

Okay, so, definitely not the answer I thought I was gonna get, but I'm not complaining. I really don't mind having a more relaxing day. 

 

"Okay, sounds good. Please don't wake me up with water again." I say with almost pleading eyes. 

 

"If you just get up, it won't be necessary." Anya smirks. 

 

She wishes me goodnight and walks out of my tent. She seemed to be in less of a 'General' mode during dinner, which was a nice change. 

 

I start getting ready for bed. I strip down to my underwear and don't bother to change into sleeping clothes. I slip under the warm pelts, sighing happily at how comfortable and warm my bed is. I close my eyes, thinking about tomorrow. It relaxes me to know I won't be training tomorrow. My muscles are extremely sore and I don't think I'd be of much use if we were gonna train tomorrow as well. 

 

I fall asleep with a smile on my face. This isn't so bad after all.

 

*

 

I feel something sniffling my face as I wake up. This must be one of Anya's ways of waking me up again. I open my eyes slowly, afraid to see what it is. I see a tiny pig being held in front of my face, snorting happily once it notices that I'm awake. I groan and look up at an amused Anya looking back at me. 

 

I give her an unimpressed look. "Really? Why can't you just wake me up normally?" 

 

"You asked me not to wake you up with water, and waking you up normally doesn't work with you SkaiPrisa." 

 

I sigh, knowing she is right. I have feeling I'll be waking up to even weirder things the coming days. 

 

"Get up and get dressed, I left food for you on the table. I'll be waiting outside." She turns around and strides out of my tent again. 

 

I sit up on my bed and stretch my body, grimacing as the pain of my sore muscles shoot through me. I stand up and get dressed quickly. I grab some food to take with me, knowing Anya probably won't want to wait up for me any longer. I step out of my tent while stuffing food in my mouth. Anya looks at me with a slightly disgusted expression, probably because of the way I eat. "Alright, let's go." 

 

I follow her through the village, a few people coming up to us to greet us and asking me a few questions about my people. I think I've answered the same questions about 11 times during the time we walk over to wherever Anya is taking me. 

 

We stop at a cabin made out of wood and scrap metal. Anya knocks on the door and says something in Trigedasleng. It takes a second before the door opens and a man is standing in the doorframe, responding to Anya in Trigedasleng. The man looks different than most men here. He's not wearing armor or dark clothes like most, instead, he's wearing a bright coloured shirt and patterned pants. A measurement tape is hanging around his neck, along with his glasses. 

 

He eyes me up and down. "This is her?" A small smirk appears on his face. I'm feeling slightly uncomfortable by the way he looks at me, but I trust Anya and I am certain she won't let anything happen to me. 

 

"Yes, this is Clarke." Anya says to the man before turning to me. "Clarke this is Osias, he will be taking your measurements." I raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Your measurements are needed so we can get you some proper armor." Anya answers my unasked question. 

 

"Come with me." Osias turns around on the hilts of his heels and walks inside the house, gesturing for us to follow him. I walk inside with Anya behind me. He leads us to a room with a few angled mirrors and places me in front of a big mirror in the centre of the room.

 

Osias bombards me with questions while taking my measurements, mainly about me and my people, but once he starts asking about my parents, Anya stops him, knowing I get emotional talking about my parents (especially about my dad). 

 

"Osias, when will her armor be done?" Anya asks, changing the subject. I flash her a thankful smile, feeling slightly more relaxed. 

 

"Not long, a few days at most." Osias mumbles, focused on measuring me up. He doesn't decide to speak up anymore, thankfully. 

 

Once he finishes, Anya and I say our goodbyes and thank him before walking out. "Moba (sorry) for his behaviour, I did not know he would question you like that." Anya says as we step outside. 

 

"It's okay, I'm just glad you stopped him." 

 

Anya smiles slightly. "Come with me, we need to get you some clothes." She says as she heads towards where a woman is selling stuff as clothes and accessories. 

 

The woman's face lights up when we approach her. "Anya, it is good to see you hodnes (love)." The woman says, making Anya blush slightly. 

 

What does hodnes mean? And why is it making her blush? 

 

Anya reaches her hand out and the woman takes it. "Clarke, this is Niylah." Anya smiles at me. I have never seen her smile like that. Are they dating?

 

Niylah turns to me. "Clarke, it is nice to meet you, Anya has told me about you and your people." She gives me a soft smile.

 

"It is nice to meet you too Niylah. I hope Anya has only told you good things though." I say jokingly. 

 

Niylah chuckles. "Of course. But I'm certain you two are here for more than a chat, so how can I help you?" 

 

"She needs new clothes." Anya answers for me. 

 

"Very well, I think I have something you might like Clarke, wait here." Niylah turns around and starts looking through some racks of clothes. I look up to see Anya staring at her, having a not so subtle smirk on her face. I think I have something to tease Anya with now.

 

After a few minutes of rummaging through the racks of clothes, Niylah turns back to us holding a few different sets of clothing. "I have found a few things that will probably fit your style, but I'm pretty sure you'll love this." Niylah says while holding up a black leather jacket with blue details on it. I take the jacket from her and study it with a stupid grin on my face. She is right, I do love it.

 

"Thank you Niylah, this is amazing." I smile as I look up at her. 

 

Niylah smiles and hands me the rest of the clothes. "You're welcome Clarke." 

 

Anya reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small pouch which I think has coins in it. Niylah pats away Anya's hand holding the pouch. "There's no need for that, you can pay me later." Niylah winks at Anya. 

 

I see Anya's eyes darken slightly, a blush creeping up her face and clenching her jaw. Okay, they're definitely dating. I clear my throat, making them snap out of the heart-eyes they're giving each other. 

 

"General! SkaiPrisa! I need your help!" Nyko runs up to us with a scared expression on his face. He bends over, resting his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath again. "I need you in the medical tent. There's a boy, he is losing a lot of blood and we're losing him." He says with panic in his voice, still breathing heavily. 

 

"Bring me to him. I'll see what I can do." I am determined to help this boy, not waiting for Anya to respond first. Anya looks at me with raised eyebrows in surprise, being a little impressed. She nods in agreement and before we leave, we turn to Niylah and thank her once more. Niylah presses a quick kiss on Anya's cheek. I would've teased her about it, but right now is not the time. 

 

Nyko leads us to the medical tent. We're met by a boy letting out grunts in pain. I immediately go over to him and see blood dripping from his side. I lift up his shirt and see a big wound on the side of his stomach, it's pretty deep and I'm surprised he is still conscious right now considering the amount of blood he has lost. 

 

I don't hesitate and rip off a piece of my shirt to use it to press on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "Nyko, put pressure on his wound." Nyko stands next to me and takes it over. "Anya, can you find him something to bite on?" She nods and pulls out her dagger, making the boy bite on the handle. I gather some stitching supplies and what I think is used as some sort of disinfectant. 

 

"Anya, distract him." I say as I take it over from Nyko again. She nods again and starts comforting the boy. Who knew, there is a soft side of Anya. 

 

I take the cloth away and sigh in relieve when I see the bleeding has stopped. "This is gonna hurt like a bitch, I'm sorry." I pour the disinfectant on the wound, making the boy wince in pain. I slowly start stitching up his wound. The boy flinches every now and then, but I can tell that the pain is not as bad as before. I can see Anya and Nyko in the corner of my eye staring at me in awe. 

 

When I'm done stitching up, Nyko hands me some clean bandages and I wrap up the boy's wound. Anya takes the dagger out of his mouth when I turn to give him some water. "You did well. You need to rest for now, you will feel a lot better tomorrow morning. I will check up on you." 

 

"Mochof (Thank you) SkaiPrisa." The boy gives me a thankful smile. I smile back and head out of the tent with Nyko and Anya following me. 

 

"Thank you for your help, Clarke. He would've died if it wasn't for you." Nyko says to me with respect in his eyes. 

 

I flash him a smile. "It is no problem, I am glad he didn't die. But what happened to him?" 

 

"He was out hunting when a panther came up to him. He was bit by the panther while trying to fight it off, he killed the panther but as you can see he got hurt pretty badly. The guards found him and brought him back." Nyko sighs and shakes his head, worry evident in his eyes.

 

I reach out and squeeze his shoulder. "He is okay now, don't worry. He will be able to walk around like normal in no-time." I say, hoping it will calm his worry. Nyko relaxes slightly and gives me a thankful smile. 

 

"You did well Clarke, you saved him. We will have a feast tonight in celebration." Anya speaks up. My face lights up when I hear her talk about food. I am pretty hungry, I haven't eaten anything since this morning. Anya turns to a guard and tells him to spread word, the guard scurries off and it only takes a few moments to see people set up preparations for the feast already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follows up right after the last chapter. Enjoy :)

Clarke's POV

 

The feast starts sooner than expected and I happily sit down with Anya, Niylah, Lincoln and Nyko. I sit across from Anya and Niylah and I can tell they are holding hands under the table. They're sitting extremely close to each other, giving each other heart-eyes. 

 

I clear my throat, making Anya look at me. "Hey General Lovesick, I thought you were gonna teach me Trigedasleng today?" 

 

"Lovesick? How can someone be sick of love?" Anya asks confused. 

 

"It's an expression, it just means you're madly in love." I explain. 

 

"Oh." Anya blushes slightly, making Niylah chuckle softly. Anya clears her throat. "To answer your question, yes I did say I would teach you today, but because of today's happenings we will start tomorrow. I can teach you during training." 

 

"I can teach her on days she helps me in the medical tent." Nyko suggests. Anya nods and turns to me. "Is that okay with you Clarke?" 

"Yeah of course." I smile back at both of them. 

 

During the rest of the evening, I happily indulge into the food that's been served, having people ask me questions about me and my people, and how I managed to save that boy. Anya lets me tell the story over and over again, while seeming a little proud almost. 

 

I look around the table and grin automatically when I see almost everyone smiling and laughing. It's been a long time since I've felt carefree and happy like this. I wish my people were here to see this. I miss them, a lot. It feels weird not having them around. I wonder if they're okay... 

 

"Clarke, are you okay?" Lincoln asks me quietly, probably noticing how the grin has disappeared from my face.

 

I nod and sigh. "Yeah, I just miss my people. I wish I could show them all of this and I don't know if they're okay." 

 

"You worry about your people?" Anya says, making it sound more like a statement than a question. I nod again in silence. I can practically see the gears working in her head. After a moment of silence, she speaks up. "We can go see your people when your armor is done." 

 

I instantly smile like an idiot. "Really? Thank you Anya." I almost squeal of happiness. 

 

"Lincoln and I will accompany you, along with a few guards." Anya says with a slight smile on her face. 

 

"What about Nyko and Niylah?" I ask.

 

"They will stay here, Nyko needs to take care of the wounded and Niylah has to help her father with the shop." Anya explains.

 

"If it makes you feel any better, I have been watching them and they seem to be doing okay. I have heard them talking about you, they miss you. Bellamy has been trying to lead them, but it's clear he is not as great as you." Lincoln speaks up. 

 

I chuckle softly, imagining Bellamy trying to order Raven and Octavia around and not being listened to. "Thank you Lincoln." I smile at him. 

 

Nyko stands up and bids us goodnight before heading towards the medical tent. I'm pretty sure he is gonna check on the boy first before going to sleep. Nyko is a big and intimidating guy, but really he is big sweetheart, even though I'm pretty sure he could kill anyone within 2 seconds. 

 

I look over to see Niylah whispering something into Anya's ear, making her blush hard. I chuckle at the sight of it. 

 

Anya and Niylah stand up, with Niylah practically clinging onto Anya. "We should get some sleep, it's getting late." 

 

"I don't think you'll be getting any sleep, looks like you're gonna pay off those clothes from earlier." I smirk at them, making Anya glare at me. I hear Lincoln chuckle quietly next to me. 

 

"We will be training tomorrow, I will wake you up at first light Clarke." I groan internally, knowing Anya will get back at me for my  comment. Anya and Niylah manage to bid us goodnight before Niylah drags Anya away. 

 

"We should get some sleep as well." I say to Lincoln as I stand up. Lincoln nods and joins me to walk over to my tent.

 

"Clarke, Octavia is Bellamy's sister, right?" Lincoln asks me.

 

"Yes, why?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

 

Lincoln hums in response, a smile appearing on his face. "She is pretty." 

 

I smack his shoulder softly and chuckle. "You like her?" Lincoln smirks at me in response. 

"Well, you'll get to meet her when we go to visit them." I smile at him. 

 

"So what's the deal with Anya and Niylah?" I ask in curiosity.

 

"They grew up together. Anya was trained to be a warrior and Niylah watched every training. Niylah is not a warrior, she learned to be a healer and helps her father with the shop. But she can kill someone if necessary. After a long time, they finally confessed their feelings to each other and now they're dating." 

 

"That's sweet. It's nice to see Anya when she is not in her 'General mode'." Lincoln nods in agreement. 

 

When we reach my tent, Lincoln bids goodnight to me and heads off to his own tent. His tent is really close to mine because he is my personal guard. It makes me feel safe, knowing he is nearby. 

 

I head into my tent and strip down to my undergarments. I don't bother to put on sleeping clothes. I crawl into bed, sighing happily when I nuzzle the pelts against me. I close my eyes, feeling happy when I think about seeing my people again soon. I fall asleep pretty quickly. 

 

————————————————————————

 

Anya's POV 

 

Niylah drags me away and I feel my face heat up. I'm in for a long night. I'm not complaining though, but I will be tired in the morning and I'm sure Clarke will notice. She is observant, and she is a fast learner. It's not standard for me to train people, but Clarke is a good leader and is already showing signs of becoming a great warrior. Heda will like her. Of course I would never tell Clarke that, I don't wanna boost her ego too much.

 

Niylah drags me into our tent, I close the flaps of the tent behind us and turn around to see Niylah smirking at me. "What are you thinking about hodnes?" Gods, she always notices when my mind is in other places.

 

"Clarke, she is a fast learner, she is already better than I was at her stage in training. And she is a great leader, she is willing to sacrifice herself to save her people. Heda will be pleased about her, I have urged her to come earlier. But I haven't told Clarke, I know it will make her nervous if I do." 

Niylah takes my hands in hers. "I have noticed she is a natural leader, and obviously Heda will like her, have you seen her?" Niylah whistles, earning a glare from me. She chuckles and continues. "What are you so worried about?" 

 

I look up at my beautiful partner and sigh. "I don't know. I guess I care about Clarke's safety, and I want everything to go well when Heda and Clarke meet each other." 

 

Niylah chuckles and pulls me closer against her body. She rests her forehead against mine, leaving barely any space between our lips. "You're so cute when you worry." She gives me a quick peck. 

 

"I am not cute, I am the General." I give her a fake mad look. Niylah chuckles and kisses me again. Her hand reaches up to cup my jaw while she tangles the other hand in my hair. 

 

I grip her waist and pull her even closer against me, deepening the kiss. She pulls back breathless and rests her forehead against mine. I look into her eyes, searching for any sign of not wanting this. When I find none, I begin taking off her clothes. 

 

Niylah kisses me again hungrily and starts taking off my clothes. When we're both naked, I gently back her up until her legs hit the bed. We fall down on the bed, chuckling. I look at her and take in her beautiful naked body. 

 

Niylah smirks and tangles her hands in my hair, pulling me down to kiss me again. I deepen the kiss and let my hands explore her body. She gasps into my mouth when I move my hand onto her inner thigh. 

 

I smirk and start kissing her neck. A soft moan escapes Niylah's lips when I gently bite down on that spot in her neck that drives her crazy. Her nails dig into my back. 

 

We fall asleep past midnight, as I expected. Gods I will be so exhausted tomorrow. I just hope Clarke won't tease me too much about my activities with Niylah. She knows better than to tease me, because I will make her work twice as hard if she does. I fall asleep with a satisfied smile on my face and Niylah nuzzles against me. 

 

*

 

(3 days later)

 

Clarke's POV 

 

Anya and I have been training every day for the past 3 days since the feast. During training she teaches me Trigedasleng, and it's going pretty well, if I say so myself. I can tell Anya is impressed with how fast I learn, she tries to hide it and she would succeed if her eyes didn't betray her thoughts. 

 

I have been checking up on the boy in medical as well. I have learned his name is Rhodi. He is doing much better and he is slowly starting to walk around again. Since I saved Rhodi's life, the Grounders have learned to respect me more. His mother came up to me after I saved his life, she thanked me frantically and gave me a quiver made out of leather. I didn't want to take it at first, but she insisted and I have to say the quality of the quiver is amazing.

 

I wake up when something drops on my chest. I open my eyes and immediately sit up when I see what has been dropped on me. 

 

It's my armor, it's finally done. 

 

"Goodmorning Clarke. Your armor is done, get dressed and eat, I will wait outside." Anya says, her tone laced with amusement as she watches me study the armor intently. 

 

She heads of my tent, leaving me to admire my armor. It's black with blue details, it kinda reminds me of the leather jacket Niylah gave me. The buckles of the straps are made out of silver, giving the armor a sophisticated look. 

 

I stand up and put on my armor. It feels light but I can tell it's very strong. Anya really made sure I'd have good armor. I grab some food and step out of my tent. Anya studies me with a proud smile on her face. She adjusts a few straps, making sure my armor is on properly. 

 

"What are we going to do today?" I ask Anya, hoping she'll stick to her promise of meeting my people once my armor would be done. 

 

"We will go to Nyko first, you need to check on the boy, and you can show your new armor to Nyko. After, we will go to meet your people." 

 

My face lights up. We're finally going to see my people again. I nod at her with a wide smile on my face and we start to head over to Nyko, stuffing my face with food along the way.

 

Once we arrive at the medical tent, I hear Nyko ordering Rhodi to sit down. He is stubborn and wants to do more than he can, which is understandable but I've told him to rest so he would heal faster. 

 

I step inside, giving Rhodi a stern look. "What did I tell you to do?" 

 

"You told me to rest, but I-" I shake my head and cut him off. "No buts, you need to rest. If you do not rest enough, your wound will not heal properly. Understand?" 

 

Rhodi nods. "Moba (Sorry) SkaiPrisa, I understand." He mumbles while looking down at the ground. 

 

I go over to him and check on his wound. It's healing pretty well, it won't be too long until I can take his stitches out. "You'll be back on your feet in no-time, be patient Rhodi." I tell him while changing his bandages. 

 

Rhodi smiles shyly. "Mochof (Thank you) SkaiPrisa." 

 

"Pro (You're welcome)." I squeeze his shoulder gently.

 

"Clarke! You look heroic in your armor. It is incredible!" Nyko says excitedly from behind me, making me turn around. 

 

"Mochof Nyko, I am very happy with it. Anya knows my style." I smile and wink at Anya. 

 

"You look like a great warrior." He smiles at me before turning to Anya. "Heda will be very pleased." He says with a smug expression. 

 

What does that mean?... 

 

Anya chuckles slightly. "We must go, we have to prepare our trip to Skaikru." 

 

"Of course, safe travels on your journey. I will see you again soon." Nyko grasps arms with Anya and then turns to me. "I will miss your assistance until you come back. Be safe Clarke." He smiles at me and grasps my forearm. 

 

"We will be back before you know it, take care of Rhodi." I smile back at him. 

 

With that, we leave the tent. "Clarke, go grab your weapons and anything else you may need. I will gather Lincoln and a few other guards. Meet us at the stables when you're ready." 

 

I nod and head to my tent. I strap my quiver filled with arrows onto my back, along with my bow. I put my sword in it's sheath, surprised by how well it fits. I already have my dagger in it's sheath, but I make sure it won't fall out during our trip. I grab a small bag and fill it with food, water, a map, bandages and a blanket. I make sure I have everything I need and head out of my tent, towards the stables. I already see Anya and Lincoln standing there, waiting up for me.

 

Lincoln greets me with a wide smile on his face. "Clarke, your armor looks amazing!" 

 

"Mochof Lincoln." I smile at him. "Where are the other guards?" I ask Anya. 

 

As if they heard my question, 3 other guards come up to us, followed by 5 horses. 

 

"I assumed you do not know how to ride a horse, so you will ride along with Lincoln." Anya answers my unasked question.

 

The guards make sure everything is strapped on properly and we have everything we need. Lincoln gets up on his horse first, gesturing for me to get up as well. It's the biggest horse I've ever seen, but Lincoln is a big guy, so it fits together. Anya sees my struggle and comes over to help but I wave it away with my hand, too stubborn to need help. After a bit of struggling, I finally manage to get up and hold on to Lincoln. Anya and the other guards get up on their horses as well. Lincoln clacks his tongue and our horse moves next to Anya's. After Anya makes sure everyone is ready, she clacks her tongue and we start moving towards the forest.

 

During the ride, I look around in awe, still amazed by the beauty of the nature surrounding us. I feel myself fill up with happiness as I think about seeing my people again. I'm so excited to tell them more about the Grounders and what I have learned from them. The Grounders are good people and I hope my people will see that too. But knowing them, they're very skeptical. I just hope they won't mess this up. 

 

We reach the gate of the dropship rather quickly and I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I hear one of their guards shout for Bellamy and Raven while they have their weapons pointed at us. They must not recognise me, I guess. 

 

I get down from the horse and stand in front of the gate. "It's me, Clarke. Please open the gate. And lower your weapons." The boy's eyes widen and the gate opens immediately, lowering his weapon in shame while the others follow.

 

I'm being tackled to the ground when the gate opens. "Clarke, oh my god, are you okay?" Raven murmurs into my neck while holding onto me, still on the ground.

 

I chuckle softly. "Raven, I'm okay, I'm great actually." Raven gets up and I notice she has made a brace for her leg. Smart. I will check on her leg later. "I'm so glad you're okay Princess, tell me everything that's happened!" 

 

"I want Bellamy and Octavia to be there as well when I tell you everything." Raven nods in understanding.

 

Bellamy and Octavia push their way through the crowd that has gathered at the gate. "Clarke?! Clarke, oh my god, you're back!" Octavia squeals excitedly, tears glistening in her eyes as she makes her way over to me to hug me. I wrap her up in my arms. "It's good to be back." I murmur softly. 

 

She pulls away, giving Bellamy the chance to greet me as well. He hugs me tightly. "This place is not the same without you, Clarke." He whispers. I pull back and give him a cocky smile. "I know." He grins widely, but that quickly disappears when he sees The Grounders behind me. 

 

I gesture for them come closer, as they have been keeping their distance this whole time, giving us our moment. "This is Anya. She is the General and she has been training me since I've been with them." I motion to Anya. "This is Lincoln, he is one of their warriors and healers, he is also my personal guard." I say as I motion to Lincoln. "The other 3 are guards." I point to the 3 Grounders holding the horses. 

 

"Please, come in. We have lots to talk about." Raven speaks up.

 

We follow her as the gate closes behind us. The crowd warily eyes the Grounders while Raven leads us inside the dropship. The guards stay outside with the horses. 

 

While I was gone, they have changed the upper level of the dropship to a meeting-place. There's a big round table with chairs all around it made out of scrap metal. I have to admit, it is nicely done. Raven gestures for us to sit down. I sit down in-between Anya and Lincoln, with Raven, Octavia and Bellamy across from us. I can see Octavia staring at Lincoln. Subtle. 

 

I clear my throat, making everybody turn their attention to me. "How have things been going here?" I ask Raven. 

 

"We have been holding up, we build this meeting-place as you can see and we have been adding new things to the camp. We made a storage unit, a weaponry and a training-ground, and we improved the tents." Raven says proudly. "And, I'll be able to contact The Ark by tomorrow!"

 

I beam at her words. "That is amazing Rae!" 

 

"The Ark are the people still in the sky, yes?" Anya asks me. 

 

"Yes, if we have contact with them, I'll let you talk to them as well, if that's okay?" 

 

Anya nods. "Good plan." 

 

"So why are you back Princess?" Octavia speaks up. 

 

"We've only been told by some Grounders that you were with them, but that's all we know. You could have been killed by those savages." Bellamy grumbles. 

 

I feel Anya and Lincoln tense beside me, and I feel myself fill up with anger as well. "Bellamy, these people have been good to me. They are everything other than savages, if anything, we are the savages. We invaded their land, they could've killed us when they had the chance but they didn't. If you weren't so quick to judge, you'd see they're great people. They take care of their people, they have an entire village filled with happy people. They have been making me feel at home and they took me in as one of their own. I respect them and you will too. If you do not know how to treat them with respect, I suggest you shut up and leave us." 

 

The others stare at me with wide-eyes, not expecting me to speak up like that. I notice Anya smirking at me proudly in the corner of my eye. 

 

"She's back." Raven mumbles, chuckling softly. 

 

After Bellamy apologises, I speak up again. "Now we've got that clear, shall I explain what has been happening?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this early update :)

Clarke's POV

 

"Now we've got that clear, shall I explain what has been happening?"

The others nod and I start explaining, starting with the moment I met Anya. I tell them about how Anya has been training me and how I've been helping out in the medical tent with Nyko. I tell them about the various ways I've been woken up. I tell them about the boy I saved. I tell them about the Heda and their culture and their enemies. I tell them everything in great detail, having Anya and Lincoln jump in sometimes to explain further. Once I'm finished, I let the others process all the information I just told them. 

"So what's the plan now?" Raven asks after a moment of silence. I blink at her words. I don't know what the plan is. I haven't thought about that. 

"It was Clarke's idea to come here and tell you everything that has happened, to show you we are good people and we have good intentions. I have been thinking about becoming allies, sharing our knowledge and technology." Anya speaks up. "If that is okay with you, Clarke?" Anya asks me. 

"That is a great idea Anya, I haven't thought of that." I smile at her before turning to the others. "What do you think about that?"

Raven and Octavia smile instantly. "Sounds great! I think that is a really good idea." Raven says, Octavia nodding in agreement.

"Bellamy? What do you think?" I look over to see Bellamy with a scowl on his face. 

"I guess it's a good idea." He mumbles. 

"Great! Then it's settled. We will become official allies." I grin widely. "Very well, I will inform Heda when we go back to our village." Anya says. 

"Good idea. For now, do you want to see the rest of the camp?" I ask both Anya and Lincoln. They nod in agreement. 

"Follow me, I will show you the castle." Raven says jokingly while standing up. We follow her outside and she begins her tour. She shows us around the camp, it's nothing new for me besides the storage-unit, the weaponry and the training-ground, but I happily listen to how proudly Raven provides us with information, especially when she shows us her workroom. 

After the tour is over, Anya speaks up. "Clarke, we will need to spend the night here. We will head back tomorrow." I nod and Anya turns to Raven. "Is that okay with you?" 

"Of course, we have a few extra tents you can use. Clarke, you can sleep in your own tent." Raven says. 

"Thank you Rae." I smile at her. "No problem Princess, now if you will excuse me, I have a radio to fix. I will be in my workroom if you need me." Raven smiles at us and heads back to her tent. 

"Lincoln, would you like to train with me?" Octavia mumbles, shifting on her feet nervously. Lincoln raises his eyebrows in surprise "Yes, of course." He flashes her a wide smile. They head over to the training-ground, leaving me and Anya alone. 

"Bellamy doesn't seem to approve of our alliance." Anya speaks up, worry evident in her voice. 

"He is just very protective, he'll accept it eventually. And the kids see me as their leader, so if they see the respect I have for you, they will respect you too." 

"Very well. I trust your opinion, SkaiPrisa." Anya gives me a slight smile. "I am certain Heda will want to see this when she honours us with her presence." 

"Maybe we can go here again once she is with us?" I suggest, making Anya nod. 

I hear Octavia laughing and I look up to where she is training with Lincoln. It is obvious Lincoln is holding back and is definitely more experienced than Octavia, but it seems like they're enjoying themselves.

"We can continue your training here if you'd like?" Anya asks, noticing how I'm looking at the training-ground.

"Sure, but can we use sticks? I wanna show off a little bit." I say, smirking. Anya has praised me on how good I am with sticks, she even told me she was quite impressed, which is rare for Anya because she usually doesn't like to boost my ego. 

Anya rolls her eyes but has an amused expression on her face. "Very well, SkaiPrisa."

We head over to the training-grounds and we stand in front of each other in our starting positions. We both nod when we begin our fight. I feel nervous, I have only been training with Anya for a few days and even though she told me she is impressed, Anya has way more experience than me and will most definitely win. 

We circle around each other, testing each other's patience, just like Anya taught me. I am the first to attack, aiming my stick to hit her side. She easily blocks with a bored expression on her face. I strike again, using a combo she taught me but I've put my own twist to it. She doesn't expect the change and it results in me hitting her shoulder. I smile proudly, going back to circling each other again. This time it's Anya who strikes first. She does a combination of moves she taught me, but swinging faster than normal. She manages to hit my side and I let out a grunt of pain. "You let your left side open. Focus SkaiPrisa!" Anya says when we circle around each other again. 

I nod at her with determination in my eyes. She charges at me, swinging her sticks around like an extension of herself. I manage to dodge her attacks barely, I move myself behind her when I have the chance and swing my stick to hit her back. Anya notices before I can hit her and quickly turns around to kick me in the back of my knee. I fall on my knees and quickly dive away when she charges at me again. I stand up, charging at her. My movements faster than usual, doing combo after combo while adding my own twists to it. I finally manage to hit Anya in her side after she blocks almost every strike. I can tell she is impressed and proud. We continue to train for a few hours until both of our stomachs are grumbling loud. 

We head over to the fire when we smell food being prepared. We sit down next to Octavia and Lincoln. 

"I didn't know you could fight like that, Griffin" Octavia says, smirking at me while handing me some food. 

"Clarke is a great fighter, even I am impressed by her skills." Anya speaks up, making me blush slightly. "Thank you Anya, but I'm nowhere near as good as you." 

"If you train enough, I am certain you will turn out to be even better than me." Anya mumbles. I blush at her words. 

"Where is Raven?" I ask Octavia. She shrugs and I stand up to go over to her workroom, taking some food with me, knowing she forgets to eat.

When I step in her tent, she is bending over her table, mumbling to herself. "Rae, I brought you some food." 

Raven perks up and looks at me with a wide smile. "Did you say food?" She asks grinning, while taking the food out of my hands. 

I chuckle. "How's your leg holding up?" I ask, nodding at her leg.

"Oh it's okay. While you were gone I made a brace because the pain got too bad, but it's much better right now." I give her a sad smile. I feel bad for not being there when she was in pain. I know she can handle herself, but I also know she tries to push away the pain and act like nothing's wrong. 

"Do you mind if I take a look at it?" I ask.

"Of course." Raven responds, already taking her brace off and pulling down her pants. She sits down on her desk, letting me check her leg out. I bend and stretch her leg carefully and squeeze her leg in a few places, making sure to watch Raven's expressions. 

"I don't exactly know what it is, but I think you got nerve damage in your leg. My mom can examine you when she gets down, hopefully she'll know what it is." I say, standing back up again and handing Raven her pants. "For now, I can get you painkillers and massage your leg when the pain gets too bad." 

"Okay, thank you Princess." Raven responds, pulling her pants back on and putting on her brace. I don't mind it anymore when she gives me that nickname. After all, even The Grounders are calling me SkaiPrisa, which translates to Sky Princess. 

"So, any hot Grounders in that village?" Raven asks, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows. 

"I guess you'll have to come see for yourself." I chuckle. 

"Great idea, Griffin. But first I gotta finish this radio, you can stay here if you want? I don't mind some company." She asks smiling.

I shrug and lay down on the couch Raven desperately wanted to make when we were setting up her workroom. I close my eyes and listen to Raven tinkering with the radio and mumbling, sometimes cursing, to herself. I begin to doze off quickly. 

"Clarke! Clarke, wake up!" Raven says excitedly, shaking my shoulder. I groan and open my eyes. "What is it Rae?" I say, yawning. 

"We're in contact with The Ark!" She beams at me. I instantly jump up and hug her, feeling relieved to know I'll be able to talk to my mother. I pull back and grab her face. "You're amazing Rae." She smirks. "I know." 

"I talked to Sinclair, he's getting Abby right now. Go get Anya and come back here." 

I nod and practically run out of the tent, heading to Anya's tent. She is already awake when I jump in her tent, probably because of the noise I made. She told me she is trained to wake up at the slightest sound. 

"Good, you're awake. Come with me Anya, we're in contact with The Ark." I say with a grin on my face. Anya gets up instantly and follows me back to Raven's tent, knowing how important this is. 

When we get inside, Raven perks up. "They're here Miss G." She says while scooting over, making place for me and Anya. 

"Mom?" 

"Clarke? Oh my god, Clarke!" I hear mom's voice through the radio. I feel myself tear up. Raven seems to notice and wraps an arm around me. 

"Mom! Are you okay?" My voice cracks. 

"I'm fine honey, don't worry. Raven already told me a few things of what happened, but not everything. Can you tell me everything?" 

"Yes of course." I say while sitting down. This is gonna take long to explain. I tell her everything from the moment we came down, including everything about my experience with the Grounders. Once again, I have to tell the story about how me and Anya met, their culture, their village, their Heda, their enemies, how I saved Rhodi. I tell her everything I can think of.

"Anya is with you right now?" Mom asks after I'm done explaining everything. 

"Yes, she is right here." I say, gesturing for Anya to speak up. "It is a pleasure to meet you Dr. Griffin." 

"Anya, thank you for saving Clarke's life and taking her in." Mom says, her voice filled with emotion. 

Anya raises her eyebrows in surprise. "There is no need to thank me, Dr.Griffin." 

"Call me Abby, and you're getting a hug when we meet officially." Mom chuckles. 

We spent the rest of the night talking to my mother until we're all too tired to speak. We say goodnight to my mom and Raven turns off the radio. The three of us fall asleep almost instantly, too tired to go back to our own tents.

 

*

 

I wake up when I feel movement next to me. Raven is nuzzling against me, probably waking up as well. Raven and I fell asleep last night on the couch, while Anya fell asleep in a chair. I look up to see an empty chair. Anya is already awake as expected, and I guess she is making preparations for the trip back, as she is not in the tent right now. 

I gently sit up, smiling when Raven whines silently when she misses my body-heat. I get up and stretch my body. I hear a yawn behind me, making me turn around to see Raven finally opening her eyes as well. 

"Goodmorning Princess." Ravens mumbles sleepily. 

"Goodmorning Rae." I respond, smiling at her.

"So what's the plan for today?" Raven asks while sitting up. 

"I'm going back to TonDC today so I gotta prepare for that, and I heard Anya talk about bringing some of you back with us. I'll ask her later. I want to talk to mom before we head back, is that possible?" 

"Yeah sure, I'll set it up right away." Raven gives me that 2-fingered salute. 

I snort. "Dork." I laugh when she presses her hand against her chest and drops her mouth dramatically. "I'll go get Anya and bring back some food." I say before heading out of her tent. 

I see Anya talking to some kid and I chuckle when I see the colour draining from his face. 

"Goodmorning Anya, I see you're making friends." I say as I walk up to her. 

"The fool tried to seduce me, so I threatened to cut his fingers off and make him eat it." Anya deadpans. I'm not even surprised anymore by Anya's way of threatening. 

I grab a few plates of food and turn to Anya. "We need to talk to Raven." 

Anya nods and follows me back to Raven's tent. I step inside with Anya behind me and I smile instantly when I hear mom's voice coming through the radio. I sit down and hand Raven and Anya a plate of food. Raven indulges immediately, making Anya scrunch up her nose in disgust. 

"I did not know people could eat even more disgustingly than you Clarke." Anya murmurs. 

Raven looks up from her food and squints her eyes at Anya playfully. 

I don't bother to interfere and I start talking to my mom instead. "Hey mom, we are heading back to TonDC today. I have to continue my training and I will have to meet the Heda soon." I feel nerves rising up in my chest as I think about meeting the Heda. 

"Oh right, you told me about that last night. Well, keep me updated okay?" Mom responds.

"Of course mom. Do you have any idea when you'll come down to Earth?" 

"No, not yet. They are looking into that right now. I'll let you know as soon as I can." 

"Okay, thank you mom."

"Is Anya with you?" Mom asks. I'm surprised by her question, but let Anya speak up. 

"Yes, I'm here." Anya responds, surprise showing on her face as well. 

"Anya, can you promise me you will not let anything happen to Clarke?" Mom asks, a crack in her voice audible. 

"Dr. Griffin, I can assure you Clarke will be safe, she is strong and she is a fighter. Do not worry." Anya chuckles slightly. 

"You're right, sorry, I'm just worried. Thank you Anya." Mom responds.

"No need to thank me Dr.Griffin, I can understand your worry." 

"I told you to call me Abby. But I'll stop talking now, I'm sure you have a lot of things to take care of. Raven, Clarke, I love you. Stay safe." Mom says. 

"I love you too." Both me and Raven respond. 

"Bye Mom, I'll talk to you soon." I say before turning the radio off. 

"So guys, I've been thinking, and what if I go back with you to TonDC? That way you can still talk to your mom and I can see the village." Raven suggests, turning to us. 

"I was thinking of asking you to ride with us. I figured your knowledge could be used in my village." Anya says. "Is that okay with you Clarke?"

"Yeah of course, I'd love that." I respond, grinning widely. I can already imagine Raven's face when I show her around. She'll love it. 

Raven pumps her fist up in the air. "Awesome!" 

Anya raises an eyebrow at her and turns to me. "If we want to be back before dinner, we should start preparing to leave. I will gather Lincoln and the other guards."  

I nod at her. "I will inform Bellamy." I turn to Raven. "Raven, you should start packing up. Make sure you take everything you may need." 

Raven salutes me again and starts packing when Anya and I leave her tent. Anya heads off to find Lincoln, leaving me alone to talk to Bellamy. I let out a sigh. I know he will not like this, and he will be an ass about it. 

I head over to his tent. "Bellamy, are you awake?" I ask, standing outside of his tent.

"Yeah, I'm up." I hear Bellamy respond. 

I step inside his tent and see him frowning at me. "What is it?" He scowls.

I roll my eyes at his childish behaviour. "We are heading back to TonDC soon, Raven will go with us. I just wanted to let you know."

"Thanks." He murmurs. 

I sigh. "Bellamy I know you don't trust them yet, but I do. I trust them with my life. Anya saved me, Bell. She is a good person, and they are good people. Trust me." I say, looking into his eyes to make sure he knows I'm serious. 

"I trust you Clarke, I am just worried. I don't want to get my people killed because of this alliance." He mumbles, looking down at the ground. 

"They won't. I'll make sure of that. The Grounders respect me." I squeeze his arm lightly, hoping it will calm him a little. 

He sighs and looks up. "Okay, I believe you." 

I smile at him. "Thank you. Now, you need to look after our people until I'm back, okay? You got this." 

Bellamy smiles back and nods. "I promise I'll take care of them."

With that, I leave his tent to gather my stuff. I head to my tent and grab everything I need. After making sure I've got everything, I step back outside, heading to where Anya and Lincoln are talking to an annoyed-looking Octavia. 

"Clarke, she wants to go with us. Is that okay with you?" Anya says, gesturing at Octavia. 

"I see no reason why she can't go with us." I respond, making Octavia smile. I see the slight smile forming on Lincoln's face as well as he looks at her.

"Very well. Where is Raven?" Right on cue, Raven walks up to us with a wide grin on her face. Behind her, the guards are walking up to us, leading the horses. 

"Does everyone have everything they need?" I ask, making eye contact with everyone, including the guards. When they all confirm, we start strapping our stuff onto the horses. Anya and I go over it once more, to make sure it's all strapped on properly and we have everything we need. When we're done, we head towards the gate. There's already a crowd gathering to say goodbye to us. Bellamy pushes himself through the crowd and frowns when he sees Octavia with us. 

"O? Where do you think you're going?" Bellamy grumbles. 

"With them." Octavia simply says, nodding at us.

"I think the hell not." Bellamy says loudly. 

"Bell, I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't keep me locked in here. I am going with them, whether you like it or not." Octavia responds, crossing her arms. 

"She'll be safe Bellamy, we won't let anything happen to her. I promise." I jump in. 

Bellamy looks at me and back at Octavia before giving in. "Fine, just be careful okay?" Bellamy sighs. 

Octavia wraps him up in a hug. "Always." 

"Wait! I almost forgot!" Raven says, nearly jumping in excitement while she rummages through her bag. "Got it!" She holds up what looks like a walkie-talkie. 

Raven hands one to Bellamy. "This is a walkie-talkie, I fixed this little boy up because I was bored." Raven says proudly. "If you press this button and talk, we'll be able to hear you through my walkie-talkie." She shows him how to use it. 

"Raven, that's brilliant." I compliment her, squeezing her shoulder gently. She winks back at me. "I figured you'd wanna stay in contact with your people." 

After we say goodbye to Bellamy and the rest of the people, we get on the horses. I ride with Lincoln again, while Raven and Octavia ride with the guards. Anya rides alone. When we're all ready to go, we head out the gate. The dropship quickly disappears behind us as we ride through the forest.

The ride back seems to take even shorter than usual, but that's probably because Raven is entertaining us with making bad jokes. I have to explain a few to Anya and Lincoln, because they don't understand some of the 'odd SkaiKru phrases' as Anya puts it. 

The gate of TonDC appears into view quickly. I feel myself fill up with happiness already. I can't wait to show Raven and Octavia around, plus I'm excited to see Nyko and Niylah again. I like it at TonDC, it makes me feel at home.

The gate opens up as we approach. Once we're inside, we stop and dismount while the gate closes behind us. I hear a soft gasp behind me and I turn around to see Octavia and Raven with their mouths dropped open as they look around, making me smile at their expressions. 

"Holy shit, this is incredible." Raven mumbles.

I chuckle. "You haven't seen half of it yet." I say proudly. I am so excited to show them the rest of the village and to let them meet the people. They'll love it here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I love seeing all your comments and kudos! Thank you :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and lovely comments! This chapter is right after the last chapter, so I suggest maybe reading it if you’re a bit lost.

Clarke's POV

 

"Follow me, your stuff will be brought to your tents." Anya snaps Octavia and Raven out of their gaze. 

"Tents have been put up for them already?" I ask, impressed by how quickly word spreads around here. 

"Yes." Anya simply says, not bothering to explain any further. I have learned The Grounders have a habit of one-worded explanations. Like they expect us to understand everything with one word. I am used to it by now, but I know for sure that Octavia and Raven will have some trouble getting used to it. 

I sling my bag over my shoulder and follow Anya, with Raven and Octavia behind me. I notice Lincoln is behind me as well, while he usually walks next to me. 

We head over to Anya's tent. I can see Niylah already waiting outside, smiling and waving at us. Raven fastens up her pace to walk next to me. "Who is that?" She whispers while having a smug expression on her face. 

I roll my eyes. "That is Niylah, Anya's girlfriend." 

"Oh, bummer." Raven responds. 

"Monin, Welcome!" Niylah calls out as we approach. I see a slight smile creeping up Anya's face.

Niylah gives a quick kiss on Anya's cheek before turning to Lincoln to grasp his forearm to greet him. She then turns to me. "Clarke, Monin hou (welcome home). It is good to have you back." Niylah grasps my forearm and then pulls me in a hug, to my surprise. I am proud when I understand what she said in Trigedasleng. Welcome Home. I smile at the thought, it does feel like coming back home. 

"Mochof (thank you) Niylah, I'm glad to be back." I say, smiling as I pull out of the hug. 

"This is Raven. She is a mechanic." I say, gesturing to Raven. She smiles proudly and gives Niylah her 2-fingered salute. 

"And this is Octavia, she is Bellamy's sister. She is a fighter and a pro at hunting." I nudge Octavia, making her blush slightly. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Niylah. I am one of the healers of this town and I help my father with his store." Niylah greets them both by grasping their forearms, making both Octavia and Raven raise their eyebrows in surprise. 

"Let's go inside, we have a few things to discuss." Anya says, already heading inside the tent. Niylah and I step inside the tent, followed by Raven and Octavia while Lincoln waits outside the tent. 

Anya gestures for us to sit down. "You are in TonDC right now. I have no doubt you will treat our village and our people with respect." Anya waits for Raven and Octavia to confirm before continuing. "You can stay until Heda comes. I would offer you to stay longer, but Heda wants to meet Clarke alone first. I hope you understand that." 

Raven and Octavia nod in understanding. "Good. Come with me, your tents should be ready by now." Anya stands up and we follow her outside. Niylah stays back at the tent, I'm sure we will see her later at dinner. Lincoln joins us as we walk over to Raven's and Octavia's tents. They're set up close to my tent, thankfully. 

"Octavia, this is your tent." Anya gestures to one of the tents. Octavia smiles widely. "Thank you Anya."

"Raven, this is yours. We have set up a workbench for you inside your tent as well." Anya motions at the other tent. Raven pumps up her fist in the air. "Awesome! Thank you." 

"Get settled in. Clarke and Lincoln will be showing you around. If you have any questions they are not able to answer, you can find me in my tent. Dinner will be served at the fire-pit tonight." Anya says, turning around to stride off to her tent, not waiting for our response. 

"Go check out your tents, come to my tent when you're done. It's right over there." I point at my tent. They nod and practically run inside their tents. I chuckle and head to my tent with Lincoln following me. 

"You're nervous to meet Heda." Lincoln says breaking the silence. 

He is not wrong. Is it that easy to tell? I look up at him in surprise. "How do you know?" 

"You tense every time someone mentions her." Lincoln glances over at me with a small smirk on his face. "I understand your worries, but I can promise you, Heda will be fond of you." Lincoln reassures me.

"How can you be so certain?" I sigh.

"I have known Heda for a long time. Trust me, Clarke." Lincoln gently squeezes my arm. 

"If you say so. But if she does end up wanting to mount my head on a spike, I will blame you!" I say jokingly, making Lincoln chuckle. 

I head inside my tent and unpack my stuff, already laying down clothes for me to sleep in tonight. Right as I finish up, I hear Raven and Octavia talking to Lincoln. I step outside and I'm met by them smiling at me. 

"So, Clarke, how about a tour?" Raven grins at me. 

I chuckle. "Alright, follow me." 

I show them around the village just like Lincoln did with me when I first came here. Their faces light up as they look around in awe. It reminds me of my first time here. A few people come up to us while we roam the village, greeting us warmly and welcoming us back. Raven and Octavia look at me with shocked expressions when I talk to the people in Trigedasleng. I am not fluent like Lincoln and Anya, but I know enough to keep a conversation going. 

I smile when I hear a familiar voice call out from behind us. "SkaiPrisa! Monin hou (welcome home)! Your presence has been missed." 

I turn around to see Nyko walk up to us with a big smile on his face. "Mochof (thank you) Nyko, it's good to be back." 

He pulls me in a hug before turning to Lincoln to greet him. He then turns to Raven and Octavia. "I am Nyko, I am one of the healers of the clan. It's an honour to meet you." He grasps their forearms. 

Raven and Octavia introduce themselves and grasp his forearm to greet him. 

"Clarke, I'm sure Rhodi would like to see you. Do you mind following me?" Nyko questions.

"Of course! I would love to see how he is doing." I beam at him. 

We follow Nyko inside the infirmary and I'm instantly greeted by Rhodi grinning widely at me while sitting on his bed. "SkaiPrisa! How was your trip?" 

I smile at his excitement. "It was good. How is your wound?" I nod at his side.

He pulls up his shirt so I can study his wound. I take his bandages off and gently touch the wound in a few places. It's starting to heal nicely. "I can take your stitches out in a few days. It's starting to heal up pretty good." I say as I put clean bandages on his wound. 

"Mochof (thank you) SkaiPrisa. Are these your friends?" He nods at Raven and Octavia.

"Yes, this is Raven." I gesture at Raven. "And this is Octavia." I motion at her. 

"You must be Rhodi, right? Clarke has told us about you. It's good to meet you." Octavia speaks up, smiling. 

"Yes, I'm Rhodi. It's good to meet you too." Rhodi grins back. 

"Clarke, we should head back to the fire-pit. Dinner will be served soon." Lincoln says, standing behind us. 

"Good idea Lincoln." I turn my attention back to Rhodi and say goodbye before heading out of the tent. We walk over to the fire-pit, where I can see people preparing food already. Anya and Niylah are sitting around the fire, saving us a few seats. We sit down next to them and shortly after, more people from the village join us. 

A guard hands us all a plate of amazing looking food. I happily start eating, closing my eyes at the taste. I'm amazed every time when I eat their food, it's heavenly good. I look up when I hear a muffled "oh my god" next to me. I chuckle when I glance over at Raven and Octavia having their eyes closed while they indulge in their food. 

"And Bellamy thinks we're the savages." Anya mumbles with a disgusted expression on her face, scrunching up her nose at how Octavia and Raven eat. They are both too focused on their food to hear Anya's comment. 

During dinner, people come up to us to bombard Raven and Octavia with questions. They look a bit overwhelmed but I can see the joy in their eyes as they answer the questions. After awhile, people finally seem to be done questioning them and head back to their own seats. 

"Anya, I was wondering if it's okay if I train with Lincoln while I'm here?" Octavia asks. I notice how nervous she is while asking this. 

Anya glances over, flickering her eyes between Lincoln and Octavia. She has an intimidating look in her eyes, probably to test Octavia. Octavia doesn't seem to wither under her look and stares back into her eyes. 

"Very well. You may train with Lincoln when he is not on duty. Clarke, since Lincoln is your personal guard, you will need to give your approval too." 

Octavia looks over at me with a hopeful look. "Of course, that's no problem." I smile at her while she almost jumps from excitement.

"Thank you both." Octavia says, her voice laced with happiness. Lincoln gives me a respectful nod, probably too shy to talk right now. 

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Raven speaks up. 

"Clarke and I will continue her training tomorrow, that means Lincoln and Octavia can train too. Raven, you may come with us and watch us train or talk to the other mechanics, see if you can help with anything. Whatever you prefer." 

"Okay, thank you Anya. I think I'll look around the village, see if I can help around." Raven responds smiling.

"Very well." Anya responds and stands up. "It's starting to get late, we should all get some rest. I will wake you at first light." 

We all nod in agreement and stand up as well. We say goodnight to Anya, Niylah and Nyko and head back to our tents, with Lincoln joining me, Raven and Octavia as we walk back. 

When we reach our tents, I turn to them to say goodnight before going inside my tent. They murmur goodnight back and stumble into their tents as well.

I smile as I step in, happy to be back in the place that has been making me feel at home. I take off my clothes and change into the sleeping clothes I laid out on my bed earlier. I crawl into my bed, pulling the comfortable furs up to my face as I sigh contently. I fall asleep with a smile on my face, excited for tomorrow. 

 

 

I slowly wake up, nuzzling the pelts up to my face even closer to block out the cold. Even though I am wearing clothes to sleep in, it does get pretty chilly overnight and since I have to wake up so early for my training, it's still pretty cold by the time I wake up. Speaking of training, I should probably get up. 

I blink open my eyes and sit up as I yawn. I rub the sleep out of my eyes before looking around my tent. No Anya? Did I actually wake up before Anya could wake me up? I smile at myself, realising I finally might be getting used to waking up early. 

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when Anya strides in my tent holding 2 buckets of water. She looks surprised when she sees I'm already awake. "Goodmorning Clarke." She murmurs, setting down the buckets. 

"Goodmorning Anya, were you gonna wake me up with water again?" I say as I nod at the buckets. 

"No, I was gonna wake you with this." Anya reaches her hand into her pocket and pulls out a tiny mouse. She smirks at me while she shows me the mouse. I scrunch up my nose in disgust. "Thank the Gods I'm already awake."

Anya looks kind of disappointed when she puts the mouse back into her pocket. It seems like she was really set on waking me up like that. 

"So who is the water for?" I ask, sitting on the edge of my bed. 

"Your friends." Anya has an evil glint in her eyes. "Get dressed, I will be outside." She says as she picks up the buckets, striding out of my tent.

I stand up and take my clothes off. I laugh when I hear Raven whine out, followed by Octavia yelping a few seconds later. I put on my armor and step outside to see a pleased-looking Anya with 2 empty buckets in her hands. A few moments later, Raven and Octavia get out of their tents with an unamused  expression on their faces. They groan unhappily as they wring the water out of their hair. I chuckle at the sight of it, earning a glare thrown at me from both Raven and Octavia. 

"Follow me." Anya speaks up, still having a pleased smirk on her face. We're joined by Lincoln as we walk over to the fighting-ring. 

Before we start training, Lincoln hands us all some food and water. After we finish, Raven says goodbye and heads into the village to help out. I notice how happy she looks when she walks off.

Anya and I get into the fighting-ring while Lincoln and Octavia use another, smaller fighting-ring next to ours. I look at how Lincoln is adjusting Octavia's stance and giving her tips. They both have an enormous grin on their face as they train together. It probably won't take long for them to confess their feelings. 

I'm being snapped out of my thoughts when I hear the sudden clang of metal hitting the ground. I look down to see a sword in front of my feet, making my eyes widen in surprise. I mean, I have my own sword and I can fight reasonably well with swords, but I have never actually trained with Anya when using swords. 

"We'll be using swords today. Remember the movements I taught you with sticks, this will be the same. The weight-balance of swords are different, so be wary of that." Anya says while twirling her sword around, waiting for me to get ready. 

I pick up the sword and run my fingers over the blade. It's dull, that means we can hit each other, that also means Anya is not gonna hold back. I get into a fighting position and nod at Anya. At that, we start circling around each other again like always, testing our patience. I am the first to charge. Anya easily blocks it and hits me in my side. "Remember, the sword is an extension of your body. Focus SkaiPrisa!" 

————————————————————————

Raven's POV

I smile widely while walking around the village, Clarke was right, it is amazing. A few people seem to recognise me from last night and come up to me to greet me while I roam around.

"Raven! Goodmorning!" I hear a voice call out behind me. I turn around to see Nyko smiling at me while he approaches. 

"Goodmorning Nyko." I smile back at him.

"Where are the others?" He glances at the empty spaces next to me where normally Octavia, Clarke, Lincoln and Anya would be. 

"They're training. They offered me to stay and watch them but I preferred walking around the village, see if I might be able to help." I explain.

Nyko nods in understanding. He rubs his beard while I can see the gears in his head working. "I think you might be able to help me out. Follow me." 

I don't question him and follow him to his medical tent. "What is it you need help with?" I ask while we step inside.

"I have been thinking about making a contraption for my patients to elevate their arms or legs when needed when they lay down, but I don't have the right knowledge to build something like that, maybe you do?" Nyko explains. 

I immediately understand what he is talking about. "Yeah I can do that, do you have a space here for me to work?" I ask while I'm already gathering stuff I might need. 

"Yes, we have a workbench right over there." He points at the other side of the tent. "I will bring you a chair, anything else you may need?" 

I nod and write a few things down I will need. I give him the piece of paper and he instantly scurries off outside. While I wait for him, I sit with Rhodi who seems to be just waking up, probably because of us talking. 

"SkaiPrisa told me you are a mechanic, correct?" He asks sleepily, trying to make conversation. 

I noticed they have been calling Clarke SkaiPrisa, I don't exactly know why they call her that, but I think it translates to Sky Princess, which I find funny because she hates it when we call her Princess. 

"Well, I'm not just 'a mechanic', I'm the best mechanic you'll ever meet!" I say as I flex my arms jokingly, making Rhodi laugh. 

Nyko rushes back into the tent holding a chair, followed by a few guards holding the stuff I told Nyko I'd need. Nyko puts the chair down and gestures for the guards to put the stuff they're holding down gently near the workbench. I thank them before they scurry off and start working on the contraptions Nyko asked for, while he takes care of the wounded. 

Time passes fast while we work. Nyko seems genuinely interested when he asks me about my life and my knowledge. He is not just asking about me to pass time, but because he actually cares. It's a nice feeling and it results in me opening up to him. 

My stomach starts to rumble after awhile, making Nyko chuckle. 

"Let's get some food. We can continue later." Nyko suggests. "We can head over to your friends while we eat?" 

I smile at him and clean up my hands. "I'm in." 

Nyko cocks his head to the side and raises an eyebrow in confusion. "You're in what?" 

"Oh right, sorry, it's an expression. It means that I want to do that." I explain. He nods slowly, trying to understand. 

We step out of tent and head towards the fighting-rings. Nyko picks up some food for us along the way. He laughs when I shove the food in my mouth. "You eat like a beast."

I shrug. "What can I say, the food is amazing." I smile with my mouth still filled with food, making Nyko scrunch up his nose in disgust.

We silently lean on the fence of the fighting-ring while we watch the others train. I look at Clarke in awe when I see how she fights. She is in her element when she swings her sword around so effortlessly. 

"Clarke is an exquisite fighter." Nyko mumbles quietly, watching her fight as well. "The last person Anya trained, turned out to exceed all of our expectations." 

"You're saying someone other than Clarke has survived Anya's training?" I ask whispering, not wanting to distract the others from their training. "Impressive. Where is that person now?" 

"She is leading our people expertly." Nyko says with a smirk.

My eyes widen in shock when I realise what he means. "The Heda has been trained by Anya?" 

Nyko nods. "Yes, but do not tell Clarke. She will have to find out herself."

I nod in response and look up to see the others approaching us. "Tough training huh?" I call out. 

Clarke chuckles and wipes the sweat off her forehead. "What have you been up to Rae?"

I tell her about the contraptions I have been working on for Nyko, making her give me an impressed look. 

We end up talking for awhile before they continue their training. Nyko and I turn back to the infirmary. When we get inside, I continue to work on the contraptions while Nyko takes care of the wounded again. I ask Nyko about him and his people while we work. I am genuinely interested in what he tells me, especially when he tells me about the history of their people. We work like this until it's time for dinner. 

We meet up with Anya, Niylah, Lincoln, Clarke and Octavia at the fire-pit. During dinner, Niylah tells us stories about young Anya, making Anya blush deeply and glare at us when we laugh at certain things Niylah tells us. I also notice how close Octavia is sitting next to Lincoln. I give her a knowing look and wink at her, making her blush hard and avoid my eyes. 

After we finish the delicious food, we say goodnight to each other and head back to our tents. I'm glad Clarke's tent and Octavia's tent are close to mine so we can walk back together. We walk back in relative silence. Clarke and Octavia are exhausted from training all day, and I gotta say I'm pretty tired too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be a little time jump


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You’ve all been waiting for this

Clarke's POV

Raven and Octavia end up staying for 2 more days. They head back sooner than expected, since The Heda won't be here for another few days, but Bellamy called them in for an emergency which they desperately needed Raven for. 

During the time they were here, The Grounders have learned to respect them too, mostly because they are my friends but they also proved to be trustworthy. Octavia has been training with Lincoln every time they had the chance to do so and going on hunting trips, bringing back a lot of good meat, while Raven has been helping Nyko out, building him complicated contraptions so his work would be easier. I know they enjoyed it here, I could see how happy they were.

We ended up speaking to my mother on the radio yesterday before Raven and Octavia left. I wanted to speak to her because Raven had to take the radio back, meaning I wouldn't be able to speak to my mother until I see Raven again. We agreed on seeing them again after Heda comes here, so probably in a week or so. 

•

My eyes jolt open when I feel something drop down on me. I wake up to see 3 kids jumping up and down on my bed and occasionally dropping themselves down on me. They're all giggling and laughing, they're certainly enjoying this more than I am. Even though I absolutely love kids, having 3 kids jumping up and down on you while your muscles are aching from training isn't the best feeling. 

"Goodmorning SkaiPrisa." The kids giggle while they're being pulled off the bed by an amused looking Anya. 

I sit up on the edge of my bed. "Goodmorning yongon (children)." I say, smiling at them while ruffling their hair. 

They giggle again and hurry out of the tent, leaving me and Anya alone. "Did you clean your armor last night?" She asks while handing me some food and water.

"Yes, why?" I mumble while shoving food in my mouth. 

Anya shakes her head with a disgusted expression on her face. "You will see later. Get up and get dressed." Anya turns around but stays in my tent. That's odd. She normally leaves to give me my privacy. 

I stand up and put my armor on, checking the straps twice to make sure it is on properly. Anya turns around when she notices I'm done and eyes me up and down intently. She checks the straps also, just to make sure. 

"Sit down, I will braid your hair." Anya says. I look at her wide-eyed. Braid my hair? Why is that necessary? Why is she being so vague? 

I comply and sit down, letting Anya work her fingers through my hair. It doesn't take long for her to finish. I grab a mirror and look at her final piece. It looks beautiful. "Thank you Anya, it is beautiful." I smile at her.

Anya gives me a small smile. "Come with me."

I stand up and follow her out of my tent. I notice we're heading a different direction than the fighting-ring. 

"Anya, where are we going?" I ask nervously. What is going on? 

Anya glances over at me and smirks. She doesn't say anything.

We walk towards a big tent, bigger than any of the tents I have seen before in this village. There are a few guards waiting in front of it. There's a smaller tent right next to it. Anya steps inside the smaller tent with me following her. I fidget with the sheath of my dagger while Anya watches me with an amused expression on her face. I think she is enjoying seeing me nervous like this. 

An enormous guard steps inside the tent, greeting Anya by grasping her forearm. He then turns to me and eyes me warily. 

"Is this her?" The guard asks while staring into my eyes.

"Sha (yes). This is Clarke, I have been training her since she has been in my village." Anya responds. 

"If she is anything like the last person you trained, we have nothing to worry about." The guard chuckles and smiles at me. 

The last person Anya trained? I didn't even know she has trained other people. 

"Heda wishes to see you now. Follow me." I choke on nothing at his words. Heda? The Heda is here right now? I thought she wouldn't be here for another few days? Other than the stories about how great of a warrior and leader she is, I have no idea what to expect. I feel my stomach turn, I'm so nervous. 

The guard steps outside while we follow him and stops in front of the bigger tent. "Heda?" He calls out. "Enter" I hear a rather young, feminine voice say. 

He holds open the flaps of the bigger tent. Anya quickly squeezes my shoulder before going in, attempting to calm my nerves slightly. 

We step inside as the flaps of the tent close behind us. I look up and I have to force myself not to let my jaw drop. Float me, she is gorgeous. 

A beautiful woman, who only seems to be a year or two older than me, is sitting on a throne made out of wood. She is wearing black armor and some sort of shoulder-guard with a red sash coming from underneath it. She is wearing a tiny piece of metal on her forehead and has black warpaint on her face, making her green eyes stand out beautifully. She is staring right back at me while playing with a dagger in her hands, making her look quite intimidating. You can feel the power she exudes. 

She only breaks eye-contact when Anya clears her throat, snapping us both out of our gaze. Anya flickers her eyes between us with a smirk on her face before speaking up. 

"Heda." Anya nods respectfully at the woman in the throne. She nods back at Anya and her eyes immediately shoot back up to me. 

"Indra, it is good to see you." Anya says, making me snap out of my gaze again.

Indra? Oh right, the war chief. I didn't even notice she is here as well. I glance over at Anya who is greeting a dark-skinned woman, probably in her thirties, standing next to Heda. She has tattoos and scars on her face, making her look pretty intimidating. 

"I'm glad to be back." Indra says as she grasps forearms with Anya. Anya nods respectfully before turning back to stand next to me again. 

"So you are the leader of the Sky People." Heda states, making my eyes snap back at her. 

"And you're the leader of the 12 clans." I blurt out. Float me. Why did I just say that. I don't have to look at Anya to know she is smirking at me, and I'm pretty sure I can see Indra's lips twitch of amusement in the corner of my eye. 

Heda stabs her dagger in the armrest as she stands up from her throne and steps in front of me, studying my face intently. "Anya has informed me that your name is Clarke, correct?" She says calmly.

"Yes, I am Clarke Griffin kom Skaikru." I manage to get out. I curse myself at how shaky my voice is. 

"I am Heda Lexa kom Trikru." Heda says as she grasps my forearm, to my surprise. "You may call me Lexa." That surprises me even more. I am allowed to call the Commander of the 12 clans by her first name? 

She holds onto my arm longer than usual and stares into my eyes before letting go. Anya seems to notice and chuckles quietly behind us, earning a glare from Lexa that would make the greatest warrior pee their pants.

"This is Indra." Lexa says as she motions at Indra. "She is the war chief of TonDC." 

Indra nods at me respectfully but eyes me warily. "It is an honour to meet you, Clarke kom Skaikru." 

"It is an honour to meet you too, Indra kom Trikru." I nod back at her.

"Indra, you may leave us. Thank you." Lexa says, nodding respectfully at Indra. She nods back and strides out of the tent, not looking too pleased about leaving her Heda with me and Anya. 

"Sit. We have much to discuss." Lexa says gently, gesturing at the table I did not notice before. We sit down and wait for her to continue. "Clarke, can you tell me everything that has happened?" 

I nod and start explaining everything, including the things that have happened back on The Ark and why we were dropped. I'm glad we're sitting down because it takes me a long time explaining everything. Anya jumps in a few times as well when I start telling about my time with Anya. I notice when I talk, Lexa stares into my eyes, not to intimidate me but to show me that she is interested in what I tell her. 

"How has your training been going with Anya?" Lexa asks, once I'm finished explaining everything. 

"She listens a lot better than you." Anya answers for me. 

Wait. 

Holy shit. 

Lexa is the last person Anya trained?

"You're the last person Anya trained?" I ask, trying to hide my surprise but failing miserably.

"I assumed Anya told you this." Lexa says before glowering at a smirking Anya.

"I guess I forgot." 

Judging by the smirk on Anya's face and the way Lexa shakes her head, Anya definitely didn't forget. 

Lexa turns her attention back to me, her green eyes gazing over my face. "Yes, I was Anya's Seken before I became Heda. But please, your training?" 

Oh right. My training. "Well, I'd say it's going pretty good. Anya has been teaching me how to dual-wield swords for the past few days." 

Lexa's eyebrows twitch, betraying the fact that she is impressed by what I just told her. "Very well." She simply says. 

"Perhaps you could join our training tomorrow Heda?" Anya suggests. 

"I would love that. It has been a long time since we fought, I have improved greatly." The corners of her mouth twitch up slightly.

The flaps of the tent rustle, making me look up to see Lincoln, surprisingly. This is the first time I have seen him today. He tries to hide his smile as he flickers his eyes between me and Lexa. 

"Moba (sorry), I did not mean to interrupt." He nods respectfully before turning to me. "Clarke, Nyko is in need of your assistance." Lincoln leaves the tent again, probably waiting right outside for us. 

"We will accompany you." Lexa says while standing up. 

I stand up as well and give her a small smile. I step outside, followed by Anya and Lexa. We're joined by Lincoln as we walk over to Nyko.

 

"Ah Clarke, you're here, good." Nyko says as we approach. His eyes widen when he notices Lexa behind me. He nods respectfully. "Monin (welcome), Heda." 

Lexa nods back. "Mochof (thank you) Nyko." 

He then turns to Anya. "Goodmorning Anya." He says with a slight smirk on his face. Anya says nothing but just smirks back at him. It looks like they're having a silent conversation with their eyes, subtly glancing over at Lexa and I a few times. 

I clear my throat. "Lincoln said you needed my assistance?" 

"Sha (yes), follow me. I think Rhodi's stitches are ready to take out, but I wanted you to be the judge of that." Nyko says as he walks inside the infirmary, followed by Anya, Lexa and me, while Lincoln waits outside. Lincolns seems even more alert and serious than he normally is. 

"SkaiPrisa!" I hear Rhodi call out as soon as I enter the tent. 

"Goodmorning Rhodi." I smile at him as I sit beside him. He straightens his posture when he sees Lexa and Anya next to me. "Heda." He nods at Lexa. "Anya." His lips twitch up when he nods at Anya. They both nod back at him but remain silent. 

"Now let's check that wound of yours, shall we?" I ask Rhodi, letting him pull up his shirt so I can study his wound. It has healed up surprisingly well. 

"It's your lucky day, I can take your stitches out." I say as I stand up to gather some stuff that I'll need. I grab some disinfectant to sanitise my hands and his wound before I carefully take his stitches out. I notice Lexa staring at me and Anya's amused look as she watches us in the corner of my eye. 

"Anya, can you hand me some bandages?" I ask once I'm finished taking Rhodi's stitches out. Anya hands me some bandages and chuckles quietly when Lexa stands behind me, watching over my shoulder how I'm dressing Rhodi's wound. Lexa is standing a lot closer than necessary for her to be able to see, which is making me slightly nervous. Not that I mind though, I find it cute how she is watching me. 

"Mochof (thank you) SkaiPrisa." Rhodi says smiling, after I'm finished wrapping up his wound. 

"Pro (you're welcome). No hunting or fighting for another few days." Rhodi opens his mouth to protest but I cut him off before he can say anything. "No, you still need to rest in order to let your wound heal completely. If I find you going on a hunting trip, I will drag you back and tie you to this bed!" I say jokingly but still making sure he knows I'm serious. 

"Fine." He sighs. 

"Good, I will check on you later." I say as I ruffle his hair, making Rhodi smile at me.

After we all say our goodbyes, we head back out of the tent, instantly joined by Lincoln again. 

"You are good with medicine." Lexa remarks. 

"Yeah, my mom is a doctor back on The Ark. she taught me a lot." I explain. 

As we walk I see a lot of people running around, setting up tables and chairs. "What are they doing?" I ask.

"They're preparing the feast tonight, in celebration of Heda coming back." Anya explains. 

"Speaking of the feast, I should go back to my tent to prepare. Clarke, I would like you to come with me, if that is okay with you?" I choke on nothing and my eyes widen in surprise. 

"Uh yes, yes of course." I stutter. Lexa cocks her head slightly. Float me, she is adorable when she does that. "You don't have to." She says gently. 

"No, no, it's okay. I just didn't expect you to ask me that. But yes, I will happily come with you." I flash her a genuine smile while she stares into my eyes. I feel my face heat up. 

Anya snorts and smirks at us. "Have fun." She drawls. Lexa throws a glare at her and sighs, making Anya let out a laugh. They must be close seen by the way they interact, it's almost like a sibling-bond. 

"Come." Lexa says gently. I instantly oblige and follow her. As we walk, we're stopped by many people. Most of them thank Lexa for leading their people and her accomplishments, while others just welcome her back. Every time we stop, I take the time to look at her. The way she interacts with people makes me heat up inside. She seems to know everyone by name and takes her time to talk to everyone who stops us, focusing her attention on them and actually caring about what they say. I can tell she genuinely cares about her people. 

I'm snapped out of my gaze when she speaks up. "Clarke?" I'm only now noticing she is looking back at me while I'm staring at her. 

"Yes?" I manage to get out, trying to sound as calm as I can. But judging by the knowing look on Lexa's face and the slight smirk forming on her lips, I am failing miserably. 

She remains silent and holds the flaps of her tent open for me. I step in first, followed by Lexa and the sound of the flaps closing behind us. She gestures for me to sit down at the table while she pours us some water, before sitting down as well. She seems more relaxed, like she is not so much in 'Heda-mode' right now. 

"Why did you want me to come with you?"  I ask, breaking the silence. 

"I was hoping you'd be less nervous if it were just the two of us talking. I noticed earlier how you found it difficult to talk about your people, maybe we can talk some more about that now?" 

She is right, I do find it difficult to talk about my people, especially when there are more people around. But how does she know?

"Your eyes betray how you feel." She says gently, answering my unasked question.

I give her a soft smile and start talking about my people, going into more detail than before, explaining why I find it difficult to talk about them. The whole time I'm talking, Lexa is staring into my eyes, genuinely caring about what I'm telling her. She seems to actually understand my worries and my thoughts. 

After I'm done, I sigh in relieve, feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I elaborate when I see Lexa's confused expression. "I haven't talked about it with anyone since I came down here." 

She gives me a soft smile and nods at me before getting up. She walks over to a more closed off compartment, which I'm guessing is the bedroom, and comes back holding a little tin filled with black stuff and a small mirror. She sits in front of me and starts retouching her warpaint. She has a look in her eyes that I can't quite place. Wait...

"You're nervous." I remark, making her eyes shoot up at me. 

"Your eyes betray how you feel." I answer her unasked question with a slight smirk on my face. 

"Mockery is not the product of a strong mind, Clarke." Lexa chuckles softly, which is a wonderful sound. 

"Why are you nervous?" I ask while she continues to do her warpaint. 

She sighs. "Some of my people are wary of your people, they think you are like the Maunon. I am afraid  they might attack your people."

I nod in understanding. "Maybe we can show your people, we are nothing like the Maunon." 

"How?"

I think for a moment before speaking up again. "What if my people help you take down the mountain?" 

Lexa shakes her head. "Not possible, we have been trying to defeat them for years now. They are too strong." 

"That was before you had us. We can help you. I'm sure we can come up with a plan to defeat them." I reassure her. 

I can see the conflict in her eyes while she looks at me. Her bottom jaw twitches slightly from side to side, which is both very hot and cute. "Very well." She finally says. 

I smile at her and chuckle when I see she has a slight smudge on her chin from her warpaint. She raises an eyebrow in confusion. Without even thinking about it, I grab her face gently and rub the smudge off. I look at her for a moment before realising I just grabbed the Commander's face out of nowhere. I quickly pull my hands back. 

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking, there was a smudge on your chin." I murmur. 

I'm surprised she didn't break my wrists the moment I reached out my hands. Instead, she gives me a small smile. "It's okay. Thank you." 

I feel my heart pound in my chest as she looks at me, if it was completely quiet, I'm sure she could hear my heart pound. 

"We should probably head to the feast." Lexa mumbles after a moment. 

"We should." I smile at her. 

We stand up and walk outside, heading towards where a long table has been set up. Lincoln, Indra, Nyko, Anya and Niylah are already sitting at the table along with other people from the village. Lexa sits down at the head of the table, gesturing for me to take place next to her. Indra eyes me warily while I sit down next to Lexa, probably not liking the fact that a stranger gets to sit next to her Heda. 

I happily indulge in the food that's been set down for us, making sure not eat it like a beast like I usually do. I notice Anya and Nyko smirking at us, flickering their eyes between me and Lexa, while we eat. 

"So, how was your talk?" Anya asks, putting more emphasis on the word 'talk'. "I'm sure it was very interesting, judging at how long it took." She drawls. Lexa sighs but continues to eat her food.

"Have you paid Niylah for those clothes yet?" I shoot back, not bothering to look up from my food. Niylah almost spits out her water while I can hear Anya grumble something under her breath. I glance over at Lexa who is trying to hide a smile as she eats. 

We continue to eat in relative silence. After we're finished eating, Nyko is the first to get up and bids us goodnight. Not long after, Indra heads back to her tent as well, leaving Lexa, Anya, Niylah, Lincoln and I alone. 

Niylah and Anya stand up after a moment. "We all should get some rest. Clarke, I will wake you at first light." Anya says before being dragged away by Niylah. 

Lexa stands up as well and turns to me. "I will see you tomorrow, Clarke." Her lips twitch up slightly. She heads to her tent, accompanied by the huge guard from earlier, who I'm guessing is her personal guard. 

Lincoln and I stand up and walk back to our tents. "So, what do you think of her?" He speaks up, breaking the silence. 

"She is... unique." I say, carefully choosing my words, trying to hide the fact I'm totally mesmerised by her. 

Lincoln just smirks at me, probably already knowing I'm blown away by the Heda. He bids me goodnight and I head into my tent. 

I take off my clothes and let myself fall down on my bed, face first. I groan internally, trying to process today. I pull the furs on top of me and sigh, thinking about tomorrow. I can barely handle myself when Lexa looks at me, and now I have to train with her? Let's just hope I'll actually be able to swing a sword and not just stare at her like an idiot...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments. I love reading all of your comments and I try to reply to all of them!
> 
> Enjoy:)

Clarke's POV

"Clarke, wake up." I groan and nuzzle my face further into the pelts. "We are going to train with Heda today." 

Float me. I am going to train with that gorgeous human-being. 

I blink open my eyes to see Anya smirking at me. 

"Look at you, I only have to say 'Heda' and you wake up." Anya chuckles. 

I yawn and rub the sleep out of my eyes, sitting up. "I'm just glad you're waking me up normally, instead of using one of your overly dramatic ways to wake me up."

"Well yes, Heda would probably cut my hands off if I continue to pester you in her presence. She is quite fond of you." She winks at me, which is pretty odd coming from her, because, well, it’s Anya.

"Get dressed and eat, I will be outside." Anya says as she strides out of my tent.

I stand up and stretch my muscles, frowning at the pain shooting through my body from the last couple trainings where Anya didn't go easy on me. I quickly put on my armor and grab some food with me so I can eat it along the way, knowing Anya doesn't like to wait for long. 

Anya looks me over when I step outside and turns around, heading towards the fighting-ring with me following her. I shove the food in my mouth while we walk in silence. I frown when we reach the fighting-ring, noticing Lexa isn't here yet. I expected her to be here already. 

"Heda will be joining us later." Anya says, answering my unasked question. 

I nod at her and grab my swords, already getting into a fighting position. Anya gets into a fighting position as well and nods at me, beginning the usual circling technique as always, testing each other's patience.

Surprisingly, Anya is the first to charge, using a smart combo she has taught me before. I manage to block her attack and push against her swords, making her step back a little. Anya scowls and immediately charges at me again, surprising me with her sudden attack. She hits me with the hilt of her sword in my shoulder, making me let out a grunt of pain. "Focus SkaiPrisa!" Anya says as we get back into our circling position. 

I charge at her, using combo's I have thought of myself, which surprises her. Anya is not used to my new combination of attacks which results in leaving her side open. I grab my chance and hit her side, making her bend over slightly. I shift my foot behind her leg, and kick in the back of her knee. Anya falls down on her back, scowling at me while I point my swords at her throat. 

"You have taught her well, Anya." I hear a voice speak up. I look over to see Lexa leaning on the fence, watching us with a slight smirk on her face. I feel a blush creeping on my face as she eyes me up and down, I notice she is clenching her jaw.

"Your turn." Anya says as she stands up again, dusting off the dirt from her clothes. Lexa nods at her and steps into the fighting-ring, grabbing the training swords Anya used. She gets into the fighting position, waiting for me to confirm to begin. I nod at her and we start the circling technique. Lexa stares at me intently, twirling her swords in her hands effortlessly, probably not even aware of her cute but intimidating habit. 

I am the first to charge. Lexa blocks my attack easily and her lips twitch up slightly. She charges at me, wielding her swords expertly, like they're an extension of her arms. I barely manage to dodge her attacks and hit her with the hilt of my sword when I have the slightest chance. She lets out a soft grunt, making me clench my jaw. We get back into our circling position. I have to force myself not to let my jaw drop when I look at her. I can see her muscles flex under her clothes and the sweat dripping down her chest is definitely not a bad look on her. 

Lexa takes advantage of the fact I'm distracted. She charges at me, using a combination of attacks I have not seen before. She must have figured out her own combos, just like me. In my attempt of trying to block her attacks, I somehow manage to hit one of her swords out of her hands. Her eyebrows twitch up, betraying the fact she is a little impressed. 

Lexa quickly continues her flurry of attacks, even more powerful than before. She hits me with the hilt of her sword in my wrist, making me drop my sword from my left hand. While I'm still dazed by her attack, Lexa grabs my other wrist, twisting it behind my back, forcing me to drop the sword from my right hand as well. She holds her sword against my throat while she is standing behind me, still having her grip on my wrist.

"You were distracted, Clarke." Lexa murmurs in my ear. I feel her breathing against my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. 

Her grip loosens but she holds on longer than necessary. I feel her breathe heavily as her chest is pressing against my back. I clench my jaw, trying not to show how much this affects me. 

A sharp whistle pierces my ears, making us both snap back to reality. I look up to see Anya smirking at us. Lexa clears her throat and lets go of my wrist.

"Are you okay?" Lexa asks gently while I turn around to face her. 

"Yeah, I'm alright." I smile at her. "Are you?" 

She nods and looks at me with a soft expression, chuckling softly. "I am okay. But you have fought well." 

I shrug and blush at her words. "Anya is a good teacher." 

"It's not only that. You are a good fighter, Clarke." Lexa says as she looks into my eyes. 

"Mochof (thank you) Lexa." I give her a soft smile. "But I'm nowhere near as good as you."

"You will be." Lexa says confidently.

"Okay, my turn." Anya says as she gets into the fighting-ring. "We have not fought in years, strikon (little one)." 

"I am not little anymore!" Lexa protests. 

Anya shrugs and grabs her swords, getting into her fighting position. I walk back to edge of the fighting-ring, giving them the space they need. Lexa gets in her position as well and they begin their fight. I smile to myself when I see Lexa twirling her swords in her hands while they circle each other. I have to admit, it's very intimidating but also very hot and cute. I shake my head. Focus Clarke, come on. 

I lean against the fence, watching how they fight and paying close attention to their moves. It's impressive to see Lexa effortlessly wielding her swords, flowing them around like they're attached to her. I watch them fight for a few hours (I definitely don't mind watching Lexa's muscles flex and the sweat glistening on her body for such a long time) until we all notice it's starting to get dark. 

"Dinner will probably be prepared soon, we should start heading to the fire pit." Anya says while rubbing the sweat off her forehead. Lexa and I nod at her and we walk towards the fire pit, already seeing Niylah, Lincoln, Indra and Nyko sitting around the fire. 

I sit down next to Lincoln, while Lexa sits down next to me. There is enough room for her to sit somewhere else but she decides to sit down next to me anyway. A guard hands us all some food and we start to eat in silence.

"What do you think of our SkaiPrisa?" Nyko speaks up, breaking the silence. 

"Yes, what do you think of her, enlighten us." Anya says teasingly. 

Lexa glowers at her before speaking up. "Assuming you're talking about the way Clarke fights, it has come to my attention she is an exquisite fighter." 

I feel myself blushing at her words and I try to focus on my food, not looking up at the others. 

"What else would we be talking about?" Anya teases again.

"Maybe about the way I managed to get you down on the ground with my swords against your throat?" I deadpan, making Lincoln and Lexa choke on nothing while Niylah and Nyko chuckle. Even Indra seems to have an amused look on her face by my words. Anya just glares at me and continues to eat her food. I'm sure she will get back at me for that.

One of the hunters come up to us while we eat, greeting all of us before speaking up. "Heda, would you like to join our hunting trip tomorrow?" 

Lexa thinks for a moment. "Sha (yes), but I would like for Clarke to come with me." She then turns to me. "Is that okay with you Clarke?"

"Yes of course. It has been awhile since I went hunting." I smile instantly.

"Very well." The man says before nodding at Lexa and walking off. 

We continue to eat in relative silence. Once we're finished, Nyko and Indra are the first to leave us. Anya, Niylah, Lexa and Lincoln are talking with each other and I would chime in if I weren't so tired. I yawn, making Lexa snap her attention on me.

"You should rest Clarke." Lexa says gently. 

I nod and get up. "Good idea." 

Lexa stands up as well. "I will walk you to your tent." What a gentleman, well gentlewoman in this case. 

Lincoln instantly gets up as well since he is my personal guard, but sits down when Lexa gestures him to do so. "She will be safe with me Lincoln, you can stay here." 

I smile softly and we start heading towards my tent. I notice how she is walking pretty close next to me, having a respectable distance between us in case I'm uncomfortable, but still closer than you would normally be. I've known her for just a day but I notice Lexa is different around me, like she can take her mask off when she is with me. I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it. 

"Clarke, are you okay?" Lexa asks, worry evident in her voice, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

"Yeah, I'm okay." I smile softly. Lexa gives me a worried look, like she doesn't quite believe me. "I promise, I'm okay." I say as I look into her eyes. She relaxes slightly and nods at me. 

Once we have reached my tent, I stop and turn at her to say goodnight. She lets her beautiful green eyes gaze over me, studying my face unabashedly. I feel my cheeks burn as she looks at me.

"Goodnight Clarke." Lexa says after a moment, a small smile forming her lips. 

"Goodnight Lexa." I give her a soft smile before heading into my tent.

I let out a breath when I step inside, still trying to process today. I take my clothes off and crawl into bed, pulling the furs up to my chin. I nuzzle my face against them while closing my eyes. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep like this.

 

 

 

I am already awake when I hear the flaps of my tent rustle. I still have my eyes closed, waiting to see how Anya wants to wake me up this time. 

"Clarke? Are you awake?" Wait. That's not Anya. I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder. 

"Clarke, you need to wake up. We have to go on our hunting trip soon." 

Holy shit. Lexa? Lexa is waking me up? 

I blink open my eyes tiredly and yawn. Lexa is looking at me with a soft expression. A look in her eyes that I can't quite place. I smile at her and sit up. 

"Goodmorning Lexa." I say, my voice raspy from just waking up. Lexa's eyes widen and a dark blush is colouring her cheeks. 

"Goodmorning Clarke." She murmurs.

I raise an eyebrow, confused as to why she reacts like that. Her eyes glance down my chest, making me look down as well. 

Float me. 

I am not wearing anything other than my undergarments. I quickly pull the furs over my chest, feeling my cheeks burn.

"Sorry, I didn't realise." I mumble.

Lexa clears her throat and gives me a small smile. "I hope you don't mind me waking you up instead of Anya. I wanted her to sleep in for once, since she'll not be joining us today." 

I nod. "Yeah, I understand. I don't mind." 

"We have time to eat breakfast together before we go, if you would like?" Lexa gives me a shy smile. 

I grin at her. "That would be lovely."

She smiles and turns around, giving me the privacy to get dressed. I stand up and turn my back to her as well, quickly putting my clothes and armor on. I tap her shoulder once I'm done, making Lexa turn around. She eyes me over just like Anya always does. She reaches her hand out and looks at me, waiting for my approval. I nod at her and she checks the straps of my armor, apparently noticing it wasn't on properly. 

We sit down at the table and eat breakfast in relative silence. Lexa chuckles quietly, making me look up from indulging my food. I give her a questioning look. 

"Anya already mentioned you eat like it's your last meal." She says.

Oh shit. Manners. I forgot. "I'm sorry. Food down here is very enjoyable and so much better than what we had on The Ark." I mumble, trying to avoid her gaze. 

"I understand, I don't mind." Lexa says gently. 

I give her a smile and a thankful look. We continue to eat peacefully. Once we're finished, Lexa stands up and takes the dirty dishes outside to give to a guard. She comes back seconds later. "We should go. Grab your weapons and whatever you may need."

I nod and quickly gather my stuff. I grab a bag that's light, but sturdy enough for hunting trips and fill it with bandages, a map, water, food and a blanket. I put my sword in my sheath and make sure I have my dagger on me as well. I sling my bow and quiver filled with arrows on my back and head out of the tent with Lexa. 

We meet the other hunters at the gate and after we make sure everyone has everything they need, we start making our way into the forest.

After not too long, we have gathered a surprising amount of animals. Mostly stuff like squirrels and rabbits, but we did manage to shoot a few boars as well. Once it has gotten too heavy for us to constantly drag around, Lexa orders a few hunters to take the animals back to the village. They seem hesitant at first to leave their Heda and 'SkaiPrisa' alone in the woods but they comply when Lexa reassures them that we'll be safe. She seems really set on hunting with me alone. 

We walk around slowly, trying not to make a sound. I remember when I first came to TonDC, Anya complained about the noise I made while walking through the forest, so she quickly taught me differently. 

I hear some rustling in the trees above me, making me stop in my tracks. Lexa stands still as well, also having noticed the rustling. I stand completely still, waiting for the sound to return. When I hear the rustling again, I quickly ready my bow and point it up to where I heard the sound coming from. I wait once more to make sure I am aiming correctly. I hear the sound again and quickly shoot an arrow, hitting the target with full force. We hear a soft squeak and a squirrel falls down from the trees. I reach out my hand as a reflex, managing to catch the squirrel mid-air. 

Lexa looks at me in awe, making me blush deeply while I put the squirrel in my bag. 

"That was impressive." Lexa says, still looking at me with a surprised expression. 

I give her a shy smile. "Mochof (thank you) Lexa." 

A loud growl snaps us out of our daze, making us both look up at where the terrifying sound came from. I have never heard something growl like that. 

"What is that?" I ask, trying not to show that I'm scared.

"Pauna." Lexa says, worry evident in her voice. 

We hear the growl again, making us jump slightly.

"Run!" Lexa calls out and we start sprinting off. After we've been running for awhile, I feel my body getting tired. My steps are getting more disorientated, resulting in me almost tripping over a few times. 

"We need to hide!" I say as I look around for a hide-out. I notice something out of place in the corner of my eye and head towards it. "This way! I found something!" I look behind me to make sure Lexa is following me. 

It's a large tube, almost like a sewage pipe, with a metal raster in front of it. I pull the raster away and crawl in, following the pipe to where I can see light at the end. I look around when we're out of the pipe, seeing human remains and bones scattered around us. 

"What is this place?" I ask quietly.

Lexa looks around, studying the place. "It's her feeding ground." 

Float me. I have led us directly into this beast's feeding-ground. Way to go Clarke. I look around, trying to find a way out. I notice some large steps going up and climb on top of it with Lexa right behind me. 

Before we know it, a giant blood-thirsty gorilla jumps up to attack us. Holy crap. This must be the Pauna. Lexa takes out her swords while I take out my bow, instantly firing arrows rapidly at the Pauna. The arrows don't seem to do much until one of them ends up in it's eye, making the Pauna stumble back for a moment. We take advantage of that and run away from the Pauna, trying to escape. We get to the edge and I look down, judging how far down the ground is. It's quite a bit but we should be able to make it. 

I jump down and head over to what looks like some sort of door with only the bottom part open to another part of the cage. Lexa jumps down after me and I hear her grunt in pain when she hits the ground. I run over to her and and wrap an arm around her to pull her along. We have to crawl under the door to get to the other part while the Pauna is right behind us. The Pauna manages to grab Lexa's leg, trying to pull her back. I firmly hold on to her arm, not letting go. 

"Leave me!" Lexa says in panic. 

"No way!" I say determinedly. I grab my dagger and stick it into it's other eye, making the Pauna back down. I quickly pull Lexa along and head over to another a part of the cage, shutting the door behind me. I set Lexa down on a rock while I grab her sword to put that in front of the door in attempt to keep the Pauna out. 

I notice Lexa is not putting any pressure on her leg and is barely moving her left arm. She fell down pretty hard. I crouch down in front of her and look at her to give me permission. She nods and I gently start touching her arm, careful to watch her expressions. I quickly realise that she bruised up her arm, but it is probably not broken. I rip a piece off my shirt and create some sort of sling to place her arm in. I don't have to look at her leg to know she most definitely sprained her ankle, but I check it out anyway. I roll up her pants and see that her ankle has swollen and some dark bruises already forming on her leg. I grab some bandages and wrap up her ankle to give it some extra support. 

Lexa watches me with thankful expression but also has a hint of guilt showing in her eyes. "You should've left me behind, now two will die here instead of one." Lexa says, her voice laced with guilt. 

"Usually when someone saves someone's life, you say thank you." I say jokingly.

Lexa chuckles softly but quickly turns serious. "I am serious Clarke, to lead well you must make hard choices."

"Hard choices? Lexa, this was not a hard choice for me. There's no way I would leave you behind." I say as I look into her eyes. She sighs and looks down at the ground.

"Listen, I need you, okay? You're a good leader and I really don't want any of your heartless generals to become Commander." I say gently, making her look up to me.

She gives me a small smile. "Don't worry, my spirit will choose much more wisely than that." 

"Your spirit?" I ask confused. Anya has explained a little bit about how they choose their Heda but it's still pretty vague to me. 

"When I die, my spirit will find the next Commander." Lexa explains.

“Reincarnation... That’s how you became Commander...” I murmur, mostly to myself.

“How are your leaders chosen?” Lexa asks, her head tilted slightly in confusion (which is really adorable). 

I am about to ask more questions until we hear a loud roar and slamming on the door.

"It found us. Don't be afraid Clarke, death is not the end." Lexa says, already accepting there's no way out. No way I'm dying in here.

"We are not dying in here. I need your spirit to stay where it is." I say while thinking of a solution. 

After thinking for a moment, I pull Lexa along standing next to the door. This is gonna be dangerous. Let's just hope this works. I open the door and the Pauna bursts in. I grab Lexa and quickly go outside, closing the door behind me, locking the beast up. The Pauna slams into the metal door hard enough for it to create a small hole. While it's trying to get through the door, I grab my sword and slice it through the hole in the door in it's head, making it fall to the ground as I pull my sword out. The Pauna is dead. 

Lexa looks at me in awe once again as I wrap my arm around her, letting her lean on me as we head back to woods. We will need to find a place to stay for tonight since it's already dark and we both could use some rest. It doesn't take long for us to find a cave that's a good size for us to stay in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!

Clarke's POV

"I'll lay out some blankets I brought with me, can you make a fire?" I say while I'm pulling the blankets out of my bag. 

Lexa nods and starts on making a fire. I lay the blankets down on the ground, I put them close next to each other but still with a respectable distance in between. Lexa is already done with the fire when I turn around. It's impressive how fast she's able to make the fire burn. 

"I'll be right back." I call out over my shoulder while I'm walking out of the cave. I saw a log earlier that's the perfect size for us to sit on. 

"Clarke? Do you need any help?" Lexa calls out from the cave when I've been outside for a few minutes. It's cute how she worries. 

"No thank you!" I respond. I finally see the log I was looking for and drag it behind me, back to the cave. Lexa is standing in the opening of the cave, looking around with a worried expression. Her face softens in relief when she sees me. I smile at her and drag the log inside, placing it close to the fire. 

Lexa gives me a thankful smile when she sits down. I grab the squirrel from my bag and sit down next to her. She scoots closer to me, making our shoulders touch with every move. I try to focus on preparing food instead of her touch, but I'm still distracted.

"Let me do it." Lexa says as she takes the squirrel from my hands. She skins the squirrel with ease and skewers it on a stick to roast it. I sit back and watch her, loving the focused expression she has on her face while preparing our food. 

"Shouldn't we bring the Pauna back to the village? It'll feed the people for at least a week." I say as Lexa sits back down next to me. 

"We can't carry it back, it's too heavy. I'll order some guards to do it when we get back." Lexa responds, having her eyes focused on the fire. There is worry and guilt showing in her eyes. I decide not to comment on it, she will speak about it if she feels comfortable to do so. 

She hands me some food and we eat in silence for awhile until Lexa turns her face to me. "Why did you save me?"

I blink at her words in surprise, not having expected for her to speak up all of the sudden. I don't know what to respond. 

"Why wouldn't I?" I ask.

"You almost died today while trying to save me." Lexa points out.

"It's worth it." I say as I look up in her eyes. 

She sighs and looks away, trying to hide her red cheeks. "I don't understand. You just met me and you risked your life for me." 

"Your life matters Lexa. Your people need you, I need you, not another Heda." I pause for a second. "I'm not letting anyone die under my watch again." I say quietly, remembering how I had to watch my dad get floated. 

Lexa puts her hand on my knee to comfort me. I have told her about my dad and what happened to him, so she knows what I'm talking about. 

"Thank you for saving my life Clarke." She looks at me with a thankful expression while she squeezes my knee lightly. "I am sorry about your father." I look at her and give her a sad smile.

She lets out a breath. "I lost someone special to me too. Her name was Costia.  She was captured by the Ice Nation who's Queen believed she knew my secrets because she was mine. They tortured her, killed her, cut off her head." I can tell Lexa is restraining herself from showing emotion, but her eyes betray her. "I thought I'd never get over the pain, but I did." 

"How?"

"By recognising it for what it is." Lexa looks up at me. "Weakness."

I frown at that. "What is? Love?" 

Lexa nods in response. She has obviously been through a lot if she honestly thinks that love is weakness. But I don't believe that she does, I think she hides behind that because it's easier. 

"Surely you don't actually believe that, right?" I say as I grab her hand that's she's been holding on my knee.

Lexa looks down at our entwined hands before turning to me with a deep blush on her face. "It is something that Titus has been telling me since I started my training as a Natblida (nightblood). I never wanted to believe it until Costia was murdered, and now his words are my truth." She looks away.

"I can understand that, but you're wrong." Lexa's eyes snap up to mine with a surprised expression.

"What?" She asks, baffled. Since she is the Commander and all, I'm sure she is not used to people proving her wrong. 

"When my father died, I didn't want to trust anyone anymore. But now, I fight for the people I love. Love is what's keeping me alive." Her gentle eyes watch me as I speak. "Love is not weakness. Love makes us strong. You love your people and that's why you fight for them." 

Lexa nods slowly. "You do have a point." 

I smile in response. "But uhm, who is Titus? And what does 'Natblida' mean?" 

Lexa raises an eyebrow. "Anya hasn't told you this?" 

"Nope, guess she 'forgot' again." I roll my eyes fondly. 

Lexa chuckles again, a wonderful sound coming from her. "I'll start from the beginning then." I nod in response and she begins to tell me everything. 

Lexa tells me about the first Commander, Bekka Pramheda, who had blood as black as the night (hence the term Natblida which translates to Nightblood). She tells me about The Flame, which is a chip that gets put into every new Commander. She tells me about how a new Commander is chosen through a Conclave, which basically means that a bunch of Natblidas (because only people with Nightblood can accept The Flame), have to fight each other until one person lasts. She tells me about Titus, The Fleimkepa (The Flamekeeper), and what his job is. Apparently, The Flamekeeper uses scouts to find Nightbloods. When a Nightblood child is discovered, they are brought to Polis (their capital city) to begin training for the Conclave. The Flamekeeper is also an advisor to the Commander. 

I'm in awe of Lexa's story-stelling and I certainly don't mind listening to her talk. I've noticed this whole time she has not let go of my hand. I wonder if she is keeping it there on purpose or if she hasn't noticed we're still holding hands.

"So, you have a chip in your head that guides you?" I ask when she is done explaining. 

"Sha (yes), The Spirit of The Commanders guide me and share their memories and wisdom with me." 

"How is it put into your head?" I ask curiously. 

She turns her head to reveal a broken infinity tattoo on the back of her neck with a straight, vertical scar going through the middle. 

"That must hurt." I say as Lexa turns around again, smiling at me. 

"It's not too bad." She shrugs. 

"Well, you're just a badass." I chuckle. 

Lexa cocks her head slightly in confusion. Float me, why does she have to be so cute when she does that. "A bad ass? How can I be a bad ass?" She furrows her eyebrows, making her look even cuter. 

I chuckle. "It means that you're tough." Lexa nods slowly, trying to understand.

"When did you become Heda?" 

"I ascended as Commander during my 12th summer, I've been Heda for almost 9 summers now." Lexa says casually. 

"You were 12? Holy crap." I accidentally squeeze her hand in surprise, making her look down at our still entwined hands. She blushes and looks back up, still holding my hand.

She clears her throat. "Yes, I started training to become a warrior when I was 2 with Anya. I was later brought to Polis to train as a Natblida and I was Anya's Seken until I became Heda." My eyebrows twitch up in surprise, making her let out a laugh.

"No wonder you're such an amazing fighter." I murmur.

"You're a good fighter as well, Clarke." Lexa says while looking into my eyes.

"Not as impressive as you though." I shrug.

Lexa chuckles. "You managed to kill a squirrel you could not see and caught it mid-air, you saved us from the Pauna and you even managed to kill it. I would say that is quite impressive." 

I blush at her words and look down. "Mochof (thank you) Lexa." 

"I was actually thinking of training you myself, if that is okay with you?" Lexa says after a moment of silence. 

My eyes widen in surprise and I nearly choke on nothing. "Uhh yes, yes that is wonderful." I stutter. Float me. How am I going to be able to train with such a gorgeous human-being as my trainer. 

Lexa looks at me with an amused smirk, like she knows what I'm thinking. "Very well." She smiles.

I smile back and stifle a yawn, making Lexa chuckle. "We should probably get some rest." She says as she stands up, letting go of my hand unfortunately. I find myself immediately missing her touch. 

I nod and get up as well, feeling exhausted from today's happenings. We crawl into our own makeshift beds of blankets, not bothering to take our armor off. 

"Goodnight Lexa." I say tiredly, giving her one last sleepy smile before closing my eyes. 

"Goodnight Clarke." Lexa smiles back. 

And with that, I fall asleep. I feel content and comfortable around Lexa. She makes me feel safe. I wonder if she feels the same way... Ugh what am I thinking? She is the Commander of the 12 clans. No way she'll like a simple girl like me. Right?

 

***

 

Lexa's POV

Clarke falls asleep quickly after she says goodnight. I am having some trouble falling asleep, so I decide to stay up and watch her. She looks so soft and cute when she is sleeping. Her eyebrows are furrowed slightly and a quiet snore escapes her lips every so often. 

I find myself to be interested in everything she says and does. I find myself caring about her health and safety, already. I still don't quite understand why she risked her life for me, but I'm thankful. Judging from her interaction earlier, holding my hand and such, perhaps she cares about me as well. I feel myself smiling and blushing at the thought of our fingers intertwined.

Clarke is stirring, furrowing her eyebrows more. She is looking troubled, like she is having a nightmare. I recognise that all too well. I have my familiar share of nightmares from time to time. Her breathing starts to get heavier and more panicky. She jolts awake, looking around in shock. I scoot closer to her and gently place my hand on her shoulder in attempt to comfort her.

"Hey , it's okay. You're safe." I say quietly. Clarke looks at me with a panicked expression. 

"You're safe. You just had a nightmare." I repeat softly. 

Clarke sighs in relief when she realises what happened. "I'm sorry, I usually don't have them this bad." She murmurs, looking at the ground like she is ashamed.

"It's okay, I understand. I have them too." I say as I scoot even closer to her. Clarke looks up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and gives me a sad smile.

"How's your arm?" She nods at the lack of me moving my left arm. 

I shrug. "Hurts." I quickly continue when she gives me a concerned look. "It's not too bad. I promise." She looks in my eyes, like she is trying to find a hint of me not speaking the truth. She nods when she is satisfied and her gaze softens. 

She worries about me. She cares about my health, not because I am Heda, but because she actually cares about my well-being. 

"Lexa?" Clarke speaks up after a moment of silence. I hum in response, still thinking about the fact Clarke genuinely cares about me. "Lexa?" She nudges me, making me look down. I blush when I notice she is practically leaning against me. 

I clear my throat. "Yes?" 

"We should probably get back to sleep." Clarke says as she stifles a yawn. 

I smile at her, finding it adorable how she is trying to fight her tiredness. "We should." I nod at her and lay down, scooting back over to my own bed. I immediately miss Clarke's touch. 

Clarke clears her throat, getting my attention. "Uhm, is it okay if I...-" She adorably tugs at my bed. I immediately get what she is aiming at and scoot myself and my bed closer to her. 

"Thank you." She says shyly while laying back down, our shoulders touching. I smile in response and sigh contently. 

I haven't felt content like this in a long time. Even though Clarke and I just met, she does something to me. She makes me feel like I don't have to do everything on my own and that it's okay to show emotion. I am comfortable around her. That is something only Costia ever managed to make me feel, and now Clarke... She is special. 

"Goodnight Lexa." Clarke murmurs sleepily. 

A grin creeps on my face. Gods, she is cute. "Goodnight Clarke."

We both fall asleep rather quickly. 

• 

I wake up the next morning before Clarke. She is still sleeping and looking peaceful. I sit up, careful not to wake her, and stretch my body. I stand up, deciding to gather us some breakfast. I sheath my swords and my dagger and head outside, giving one glance over my shoulder at Clarke. I do not like leaving her alone in the cave, but I'll probably be back quick, and she can handle herself. 

Hunting is admittedly harder since both my arm and my leg are painful. I move slowly through the forest, listening intently for any odd sounds. I suddenly hear rustling behind me, making me stop in my tracks and grabbing my dagger. When I hear the rustling again, I turn around and throw my dagger. I hear a yelp and a thud, meaning it's probably dead. I move over to where I aimed my dagger, revealing a rabbit big enough to feed us both. 

I pull my dagger out of it's body and wipe it on my pants before putting it back in my sheath. I'll clean my weapons more thoroughly when we're back at the village. I grab the rabbit and head back to the cave, feeling satisfied with my catch. 

Clarke is still asleep when I come back. I smile and shake my head fondly. Anya told me Clarke sleeps very deep. I rekindle the fire and sit down on the log, skinning the rabbit. I skewer it once I'm done and place it over the fire. 

While I wait for the food to be done, I hear some movement behind me. Clarke is awake. I look behind me to where Clarke is and I blush deeply to what I'm seeing. Clarke is stretching and I can see her muscles flex under her armor. 

I am snapped out of my gaze when Clarke clears her throat. She walks up to me with a knowing smirk. "Goodmorning Lexa." She smiles as she sits down next to me. 

I smile back. "Goodmorning Clarke." I grab the rabbit that seems to be done and divide the meat between the two of us. She instantly indulges in the food that I hand her, eating like it's her last meal. I'd find it disgusting if anyone else ate like that, but I find it quite adorable when Clarke does it. We eat our food in silence. 

When we finish our food, Clarke gathers all of our stuff while I put out the fire. We check if we have everything and then head out the cave, back to the village. I recognise the trees around us and we're not far from the village. I lead us back fast. 

 

"Open the gate." I call out when we approach the gate. The guards jolt up and immediately open the gate. "Heda!" I hear a few guards call out, a crowd gathering when we get inside. 

Indra and Anya make their way through the crowd. "Heda? Clarke? Are you okay? What happened?" They both ask when they near us, worry evident in their voices. The crowd seems to voice their worry as well. 

I hold up my hand, making everyone turn their attention to me. "We were attacked by Pauna." The crowd speaks up again. I sigh and hold up my hand again, making it go silent. "Clarke kom Skaikru saved my life. And she has killed the Pauna." I notice Clarke blushing in the corner of my eye and I have to force myself not to form a smile. 

The crowd stares at Clarke wide-eyed until an applause slowly starts to come up. Anya and even Indra give Clarke an impressed look. The cheering becomes louder and the crowd begins to chant. "SkaiPrisa! SkaiPrisa! SkaiPrisa!" Clarke gets closer to me, I can tell she is not used to getting praised like this. 

I motion for a guard to come over. "Gather some guards and bring the Pauna back to the village." I turn to Clarke. "Can you show him where the Pauna is?" I ask, remembering the map she had with her. 

She nods and pulls the map out, pointing exactly where the Pauna should be. I am impressed by how precise her map is. The guard bows and scurries off. 

I hold up my hand again, making the cheering stop. "There will be a feast tonight in honour of Clarke saving my life and killing the Pauna." The crowd cheers again and quickly thins out so people can start preparing the feast. 

"So what exactly happened? Are you both okay?" Anya asks worriedly. 

"We'll tell you everything in my tent. Come." I say and stride off to my tent, making sure Clarke is close to me, followed by Anya and Indra. 

Once we're inside my tent, I gesture for them to sit down. Anya smirks at me when I sit down next to Clarke. I raise an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Will you do the honours, Clarke?" I turn to Clarke, giving her a supportive smile. 

She looks at me like I just handed her the world and starts informing Anya and Indra on what happened. She leaves out the part about our talk and her nightmare and how we comforted each other, knowing Anya would tease us endlessly about it. 

"So Clarke managed to lock the Pauna up and kill it?" Indra asks once Clarke is done explaining, sounding both impressed and skeptical. 

"Sha (yes), she saved my life." I answer, noticing how Clarke is blushing slightly at my words again.

Indra nods at Clarke, a hint of respect showing in her eyes. "If you will excuse me, I have to get ready for the feast." Indra says as she stands up, bowing at me before heading out of my tent. 

Clarke stands up a few moments later as well. "I should probably get ready too." 

I nod at her. "Very well, I will see you at the feast."

She gives me a small smile and squeezes my shoulder lightly when walking past me. I watch her leave my tent with a fond expression. 

"I recognise that look." Anya says, snapping me out of my gaze. 

I turn to her. "What look?" I ask innocently. 

"Like you have seen a miracle happen." Anya chuckles. "You looked at Costia the same way when you met her." 

I sigh and look down, avoiding Anya's eyes on me. "What is the problem?" She asks gently. 

"Hodnes laik kwelnes (Love is weakness)." I murmur softly, still avoiding her gaze. 

Anya scoffs. "We both know that's not true." She pauses and places a hand on my arm. "I know you don't want to let people in after what happened to Costia, but maybe you should let Clarke in, it could be worth it." 

"Maybe." I mumble. 

Anya stands up. "I have to get ready too." I nod at her. "Hodnes nou laik kwelnes (love is not weakness)." She calls out over her shoulder when heading out of my tent. 

I sigh and let my head drop again, processing everything. At least I get to see Clarke again soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Clarke's POV

I get to my tent to prepare for the feast. I sit down on a chair and start cleaning my armor, cleaning off any blood and dirt. I am distracted while I do this, thinking about Lexa. I think about our talk and how she held my hand the whole time we talked. I think about the smiles she only seems to show when we're alone. I think about how she comforted me when I woke up from that nightmare and had no problem sleeping so close next to me. 

We don't know each other for that long at all but there's something about her. I've noticed she is different around me, more relaxed and comfortable it seems. I know I am different around her as well. She makes me feel safe enough to let my guard down. She makes me feel comfortable. 

"Clarke?" A familiar voice speaks up, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turn around to see Lexa in the opening of my tent. "The feast will begin soon, are you ready?" 

"Almost." I say as I tangle my fingers through my hair. 

"I can braid it for you if you'd like?" Lexa cocks her head slightly. Gods, she is adorable when she does that. 

I give her a soft smile. "Yes, I would love that, thank you." I sit back and she stands behind me, letting her work her fingers through my hair. I close my eyes at the feeling of her fingers running through my hair and I can't help but blush. There's a gentleness to her touch that you wouldn't expect if you have seen her fight. 

Lexa squeezes my shoulder lightly when she is done and hands me a small mirror to admire her work. She did a fantastic job, of course. 

I beam at her. "Thank you Lexa, it's perfect." Lexa blushes slightly at my words. 

"The feast is starting, we should go." 

I nod at her and we head out of my tent, towards where the feast is set up. Anya, Niylah and Indra seem to be in some sort of discussion when we approach. 

"Are you kidding me? It is obvious! I give it a few days at most." Anya says. Indra shakes her head "No, a week at least." Anya scoffs and turns to Niylah. "What do you think?" 

Niylah smirks. "Tonight." Anya spits out her drink at that and shakes her head fondly.

"Tonight what?" I speak up, making them jolt their heads toward us while Lexa and I sit down next to each other.

"Oh just something we're betting on." Anya says with a smug expression. I raise an eyebrow at her, confused as to what they could be betting on. Anya just smirks at us, flickering her eyes between me and Lexa, making Lexa sigh and roll her eyes. I shrug and decide to let it be.

"SkaiPrisa! Heda! You're back!" I smile when I hear Nyko's familiar voice. I stand up and turn around, immediately being pulled into a hug to my surprise. "I was worried. I do not want to lose my best assistant. I heard what happened, are you okay?" He asks, concern showing in his eyes while looking me over. 

I smile at him. "I'm okay, thank you Nyko." He nods and turns to Lexa. They greet each other formally by grasping forearms. "Heda, are you okay?" 

Lexa nods and gives him a small smile she allows herself in public. "Yes, thanks to Clarke." 

Nyko grins and pats my shoulder. "Good job saving our Heda." I smile at his words. 

We sit back down with Nyko joining us. We're joined by Lincoln as well not too long after. "Heda. Clarke." He nods at both of us. Lexa nods back at him while I flash him a smile. "Are you okay?" He asks, sitting down. 

"Yes, we're okay." I respond for both of us. I hope Lexa doesn't mind I answered for her. 

We start to help ourselves with the food that has been served for us. It looks and smells delicious and I bet it tastes even better. I happily indulge and accidentally let out a low moan at the taste of it, making Anya and Niylah snort while Nyko chuckles. I glance over at Lexa who has her jaw clenched, a blush colouring her cheeks and suddenly seems very focused on her food. 

She clears her throat. "Anya, I will be training Clarke from now on." Lexa says, changing subject. 

"Oh?" Anya acts surprised, but I can tell she already expected this. "And why is that?" She asks amused. 

"Clarke is a good fighter, you have taught her well, but I would like to teach her my style now. And I figured you would like having more time to spend on other things." Lexa says like she almost rehearsed it. 

Anya smirks. "And you're sure it doesn't have anything to do with you being able to spend more time with the pretty girl, watching the swea-" "Anya." Lexa says warningly, cutting her off before she can say anything else. Lexa gives a glare at Anya that sends shivers down my spine while Anya just seems amused. 

Spending more time with the pretty girl? Wait. Does Lexa think I'm pretty? I hear Nyko's laughter and Anya and Niylah are chuckling. Float me, I must have voiced my thoughts out loud again. Lexa is blushing deeply and avoids my gaze. 

"Well Heda, don't let her wonder." Anya says teasingly, making both of us blush even deeper. 

"You don't have to answer that, I didn't realise I was thinking out loud." I murmur, hoping it will relax her. 

Lexa turns and looks at me. "Clarke, I think you are beautiful." She mumbles, her voice as low as a whisper. 

I look back and smile at her, kind of forgetting how to speak, feeling the heat creep up on my face. We're both blushing but this time we don't bother to hide it. 

I don't know how long we've been staring for until Anya whistles, snapping us both of our gaze. The others are smirking at us when I look at them, even Indra and Lincoln have an amused look on their face. 

"So, will you still teach me Trigedasleng if Lexa is gonna train me?" I ask Anya. 

Anya shrugs. "That is up to Heda. I can still teach you, but she can teach you as well while you train." 

I glance over at Lexa, waiting for what she has to say about this. "We'll see how it works. Assuming you'll be attending the trainings anyway Anya, you could teach as well. Or whatever suits both of you. " 

"We'll just see what happens." Anya says.

"Very well." Lexa nods. 

We continue to eat in silence until a few children come up to me. "SkaiPrisa! Can you tell us the sontaim (story) of the Pauna?" 

I smile and after a supportive look from Lexa and Anya, I begin to tell the story. Soon, almost everyone is listening to how I killed the Pauna. I notice Niylah, Nyko, Indra and Lincoln have an impressed look on their face while Anya and Lexa both have a sense of pride on their face. Lexa stares at me in awe and occasionally gives me a small reassuring smile when I glance over at her. Once I finish telling the story, the whole table applauds. I blush at the people cheering for me, I'm not used to it.

"Clarke, there's one more person who would like to hear that story." Nyko speaks up after the cheering fades. I grin at him, instantly knowing who he's talking about. 

"I'll bring him some food as well." I say as I stand up. "Lexa, would you like to come with me?" Lexa nods and gives me a small smile as she stands up. Lincoln stands up as well, not wanting to leave us alone again. I grab 2 plates of food, one for Rhodi and one for us to share. Anya whistles at us when we head to the infirmary, making Lexa throw a glare at her over her shoulder.

Lexa and I step inside the tent, while Lincoln waits outside. He seems more in his "guard mode" now, which is understandable since Lexa is with me and we both went missing for a day. 

"SkaiPrisa!" Rhodi says excitedly when he sees us. "Heda." He nods respectfully at Lexa. "Hello Rhodi." She nods back. 

"Hey strikon (little one)." I say with a wide smile on my face. 

"I'm no strikon!" Rhodi protests. He is not wrong. Even though he is no older than 15, he is definitely not small, he has more muscles than most boys back at the dropship. 

I laugh and sit down next to him, handing him some food. "You're younger than me though." I say teasingly. He rolls his eyes fondly and eats the food. 

"I have heard stories about the BisRipa (beast killer). Will you tell me what happened?" Rhodi asks curiously. 

"BisRipa? I like that." I smile and start telling the story again, leaving out how Lexa and I talked in the cave and how she comforted me. Rhodi looks at me in awe while I tell what happened, and I can see Lexa smiling proudly in the corner of my eye.

"You're such a badass." Rhodi states when I finish the story, making me chuckle. I have taught Rhodi some Gonasleng expressions we use, and he particularly liked "badass" and the middle finger. 

"A bad ass." Lexa repeats quietly, her eyes lighting up when she understands what he means. 

I smile at both of them and grab the dirty plates to give to a guard outside. When I step back inside, Lexa is sitting in my spot and speaking quietly in Trigedasleng with Rhodi. They're speaking too quiet and too fast for me to understand, but judging from Rhodi's smirk and Lexa's slightly flustered face, I'm guessing it's a good thing. I decide to let them speak and grab some bandages and disinfectant, remembering I still need to check on Rhodi's wound. 

When I've gathered everything I need I go back over to them. "Rhodi, I need to check on your wound okay?" He nods and pulls his shirt up.

"You're in my spot." I say as I make a shooing motion at Lexa. She smirks at me and cocks up an eyebrow while scooting over. Gods, why does she have to be so attractive. 

I focus my attention back on Rhodi and start unwrapping the wound. I clean my hands with the disinfectant, pouring some on a clean strip of bandages as well and gently dab it on the wound. It's all healing up well but it's still sensitive, especially where the stitches used to be. I can tell he is still in pain by how he clenches his jaw when I touch his wound in certain places. 

"Few more days, strikon." I say as I wrap his wound again. He groans and sighs, making me chuckle.

"Goodnight Rhodi." I say as I stand up. 

"Goodnight SkaiPrisa, goodnight Heda." He nods at us with a small smile. 

Lexa and I walk out of the tent, instantly joined by Lincoln as we head over to my tent. "What's the plan for tomorrow?" I ask once we're near my tent. 

"There won't be any training tomorrow, we both need to rest our muscles. We will have breakfast at the fire-pit. After that, you are free to do whatever you would like." Lexa says. 

"A day off sounds lovely." I smile at her. 

She smiles back. "Anya will wake you before breakfast." 

"Okay, mochof (thank you)." 

Lincoln bids us goodnight after a moment and heads to his tent. 

"We should get some rest too." I remark. 

Lexa nods. "We should. Goodnight Clarke, I will see you tomorrow." She flashes a smile at me, one she only allows herself when she is alone with me. 

"Goodnight Lexa." I smile back and head to my tent. 

I quickly change out of my clothes and crawl into bed. I smile when I pull the furs up to my chin. I yawn and fall asleep with a smile on my face. 

 

***

 

I jolt awake to the sound of something dropping on the floor loudly. I grab my dagger that I keep under my pillow and sit up, ready to fight. I'm glad I remembered to take it out of the Pauna's eye before we left. I lower it when I realise it's Anya who purposefully dropped her sword on the floor. She is cackling, bending over from laughter. 

"Gods, you should have seen your face!" Anya manages to get out while laughing. 

I glare at her and put the dagger back. "Don't do that ever again." I grumble at her.

Anya chuckles and shrugs. "Can't promise that." 

I roll my eyes and get up. "I'm guessing breakfast will be served soon?" 

Anya nods. "Sha (yes), get dressed. I will braid your hair." Anya turns her back to me to give me some privacy while I quickly put my clothes on. I tap her shoulder once I'm done and sit down on a chair. She begins to work her fingers through my hair and I relax at the feeling. 

"You like her." Anya states while braiding my hair. 

I choke on nothing at her suddenness and blunt remark. Is it that obvious? A blush is creeping up my face. "I just met her." I point out, mumbling. 

"So?" Anya huffs.

"So, isn't it too soon for me to like her already?" Oh. Float me. I just betrayed myself. 

Anya chuckles. "You worry about nothing." 

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously. 

"She likes you." Anya states as if it is obvious. I have noticed how she is different around me but she doesn't really like me...right? No, not in that way. The Commander has better things to do than to fall for some girl from the sky. 

Anya notices my silence and speaks up. "Clarke, I have known her ever since she was little. I can see the way she looks at you, she only ever looked that way at Costia." Anya says reassuringly while she finishes braiding my hair. 

I turn to look at her. "Trust me, she likes you." Anya says gently. 

I blush slightly. "Mochof (thank you) Anya." I feel myself relax at her comforting words. Lexa likes me. Well, that's what Anya says at least. But if Anya says that, maybe it's true...

"Pro (you're welcome). Now let's go." Anya says while she heads out of my tent. I get up and follow her. Lincoln instantly joins us and greets me as we head over to the fire-pit. 

Niylah, Nyko, Indra, Lexa and her huge guard are already sitting at the fire-pit when we arrive. Lexa's face lights up when she sees me, the same way Niylah's does when she sees Anya. Lexa subtly scoots over, making place for me to sit next to her. 

I greet everyone and sit down next to her. "Goodmorning Lexa." I murmur and flash her a wide smile. 

"Goodmorning Clarke." Lexa says, giving me a small smile back. She seems almost shy.

Anya watches our interaction and smirks at us. "Told you so." She mouthes at me. I roll my eyes fondly and turn my focus on the food that a guard hands us. It smells delicious and looks amazing as always. I happily indulge in the food, noticing Lexa's gaze on me while I eat. 

"Have you decided what you will be doing today, Clarke?" Lexa asks. 

"Well, I was thinking about drawing. I haven't really had time to do that lately." I respond shyly. She probably expected a more adventurous answer than that. 

"You draw? Interesting. Do you mind if I accompany you while you draw? I can work on my stuff silently and I would like to see your art if that is okay with you?" Lexa questions.

My eyes widen. I did not expect her to be interested in my art, let alone wanting to be with me while I draw. "Yes of course, we can sit in my tent." I smile at her.

"Actually, do you mind if we sit in mine? I have all of my stuff back there and you'd have more space to draw." Lexa murmurs. I know that's not entirely true, because she can get her stuff to my tent easily, so she just wants me in her tent? Maybe she just feels more comfortable in her own space.

"Yeah, that's okay. I will have to get my stuff after breakfast though." I respond.

Lexa shakes her head. "Wait." I'm cut off by her turning to her guard before I can say anything. She says something in Trigedasleng and the guard nods respectfully and stands up to walk away. "Done." She says as she turns back to me, smiling. 

I shake my head fondly. "Are you trying to impress me by ordering people around?" 

Lexa's eyes fill with worry. "What? No, no of course not. I thought it would be easier so you wouldn't have to carry-" She stops rambling once she sees my expression. "You were joking." She quints her eyes at me. 

I chuckle at her adorableness and hum in response. Lexa blushes and looks at the ground, trying to avoid my gaze. "Sorry I didn't realise-" "Lexa." I cut her off and place my hand on hers. "Don't apologise." 

She looks up at me with a look in her eyes that I can't quite place, and gives me small smile. I look back at her, taking in her beautiful features. She doesn't seem to mind that I'm staring at her, because she is staring at me.

"They still haven't talked about it?" I hear Niylah speak up, which snaps me out of my gaze, surprise and amusement lacing her voice.

I look over to where she is seated next to Anya who is shaking her head and smirking at us. I roll my eyes playfully and notice that everyone is done eating. I stand up and grab their dirty plates, stacking them up so I can give them to a guard. The guard gives me a thankful look, probably not used to having people help him, and scurries off. 

"Your stuff should be at my tent. Are you ready to go?" Lexa says while standing up. I nod at her before turning to Lincoln. 

"Lincoln, I will be with Lexa all day. You can have the day off if you want." I flash him a smile.

"Mochof (thank you) Clarke." He nods at me. 

Lexa and I head to her tent with her guard following us. "Have fun!" I hear Anya drawl behind me. I throw her a glare over my shoulder, which only seems to amuse her further. 

Lexa's guard holds open the flaps of the tent for us. We step inside while he stands outside. I don't miss how he eyes me warily before the flaps of the tent close. 

I look around to see all of my stuff that I'll be needing to draw is on the table. "Is it good? Did they bring everything?" Lexa asks, her voice back in that familiar soft tone she uses when we're alone. 

I smile at her. "Sha, mochof (yes thank you)." 

She nods and smiles back. "I will be here working. I have to write some letters to the clan leaders. Let me know if you need anything." I nod at her and give her a thankful smile. 

I sit down at the table and begin to lay out everything I need. It's not a lot since I'll only be using paper and some pencils, but I like to lay out my stuff before I begin to work. I tap the back of my pencil against my nose while I think of something to draw. I look around the tent for inspiration, noticing Lexa has a lot more candles in her tent than necessary. I could draw her? The way she is sitting at the smaller table across from me with her eyes focused on whatever she is writing and how she clenches her jaw and furrows her eyebrows when she thinks of what to write, is a beautiful sight to look at. 

I smile at myself and begin to sketch her, looking up at her every once in awhile. She looks gorgeous when she is so focused like that. Actually, she always looks gorgeous no matter what, because she is so attractive it's unfair. I quickly begin adding finer lines, creating a realistic image. It takes me awhile to finish because my perfectionist-self wants the drawing to be, well, perfect. Once I'm done, I look over it again and correct a few things until I'm satisfied. 

I flip over to a new page and begin to draw Anya from memory. Her stoic expression is difficult to replicate, and I end up having to draw it a few times until I'm satisfied. It takes me awhile to finish this drawing as well, but I'm certain Anya would be happy with the way I drew her. 

It's silent in the tent, but I don't mind it. It's a comfortable silence. I glance over at Lexa who is still focused on her work. Her eyebrows are furrowed and she has a smudge of ink on her incredible jaw. Could this amazing human-being actually like me? Me?

I shake my head softly and focus on drawing again. I flip to a new page and start on drawing Lincoln until the comfortable silence is disturbed by Lexa's huge guard coming in the tent.  "Heda, Skaiprisa, moba (sorry). I did not mean to disturb you, but Nyko needs you, Clarke." 

I nod at him and close my sketchbook, getting up immediately. I glance over at Lexa who's already standing next to me. Damn she is fast. She nods at me and we head out of the tent together. We're walking faster than usual in order to get to Nyko. 

We're immediately met by agonising screams as we enter the infirmary. I look around to see at least 12 people, screaming out in pain. "What happened to them?" I ask while I sanitise my hands. 

"Acid fog." Nyko says, too focused on one of his patients. Acid fog? That's odd. I'll have to ask more about it later, after I have helped these people.

 

I look at the patient Nyko is treating and see bubbles and burn marks on his skin. I grab a bucket of water, some cloths, bandages, disinfectant and some paste I have seen Nyko use. 

I go over to the next patient and start cleaning up his wounds. He screams in pain when I touch his skin, especially when I dab disinfectant on it. Lexa is still next to me. "Clarke, how can I help?" I look up and see her determined eyes. "Do what I'm doing, clean their wounds with water, then dab disinfectant on it." She nods and immediately gets to work. 

I try to work as fast as possible but having so many patients while there's so few of us, it's getting difficult. 

"SkaiPrisa, let me help." Rhodi speaks up, noticing my concern. I look at him, noting he is still in pain, but I could use the extra hands. 

I nod. "Okay, but after this you'll rest." He nods and gets to work as well.

With the four of us working together, it's going a bit faster. When everyone's wounds have been cleaned and sanitised, Nyko and I go over to every patient again and smear the paste on the worst wounds we can find and wrap them up with bandages.

After Nyko and I check on a few who seemed to got off the worst, everyone seems to be stable. They should be doing better soon. 

I yawn and rub the sweat off my forehead. This has been exhausting. "Clarke, you can go. I will come get you if the situation changes. Thank you for your help." Nyko says, noticing my tiredness. 

I nod at him and give a him a thankful smile. "Make sure Rhodi rests as well." Nyko chuckles and nods in response. We say goodbye and head out the infirmary. 

Lexa leads us back to her tent with the giant guard following us. Before we enter, she turns to her guard and mumbles something in Trigedasleng. He nods and scurries off while we step inside her tent. She puts me down on a chair and gives me some water. I gulp it down instantly and wipe my mouth, earning an adorable smile from Lexa while she stares at me. I notice she still has the smudge of ink on her face.

"Sit down" I tell her as I stand up. She gives me a surprised look. I raise an unimpressed eyebrow and she sits down, smirking up at me. I try not to focus on how attractive she looks when she does that, and pour some water on a cloth. I sit in front of her and gently grab her face. "Sorry, you have some ink on your face." I mumble while rubbing the smudge off her jaw. 

She furrows her eyebrows. "And you have been letting me walk around like that?" 

I chuckle. "Yes, I was too busy helping Nyko to focus on your little ink smudge. Don't worry, you looked cute though." 

Lexa squints at me. "Cute? Clarke, I am Heda, the Commander of the 12 clans. I am not cute." She says in a serious tone, but her eyes sparkle with amusement. 

I grin at her. She is just so adorable. "Well what else do you want me to call you, Heda?" I say teasingly. I forgot I'm still grabbing her face until I feel her jaw clench against my hands. 

"You can call me whatever you want." Lexa whispers almost, glancing down. Did she just...did she look at my lips? Does she want to kiss me? What?

Before I can respond, the moment is ruined by Lexa's guard calling out from outside. "Heda, dina is hir (food is here)." When I hear him talk about food, my stomach grumbles, making Lexa chuckle quietly. 

"Enter." She says as she heads over to the entrance of the tent. "Mochof (thank you) Gustus." Ah so that's his name. Lexa turns to me again and sets down the tray of food. 

"So thoughtful." I breathe out when I smell the amazing scent of food. She gives me a small smirk and sits down at the table. I sit down as well and she hands me a plate of food.

I take a bite and accidentally let out a low moan at the taste. I hear Lexa nearly choke on her food, making me look up. "Are you okay?"

She swallows and clears her throat. "Yes, I'm fine." Her voice is raspier than normal. I chuckle quietly and we continue to eat food in silence. 

We finish rather quickly and Lexa takes the dirty dishes outside to give to a guard. "Clarke?" She questions when she comes back. 

"Hmm?" I respond while grabbing my sketchbooks and utensils again. 

"We still need to figure out how we are going to defeat the mountain." Lexa says while she sits down in front of me, a serious look in her eyes. Oh shit. Right. How are we gonna do that.

I sit down and run my fingers through my hair as I think. "What do you know about the Maunon?" I ask eventually.

"They are our biggest enemy. They come out in special suits to protect themselves against the radiation. They watch us and take our people. I am not entirely sure what happens to them, but they turn some of our people to Reapers while others are kept inside." 

I remember Lincoln telling me about the Reapers and how they're vicious, cannibalistic beasts, hungry for blood. I shiver at the thought. 

"Special suits to protect themselves against radiation?" I remark. 

Lexa nods in response. "Yes, we once captured one of their people. We asked about the suits and he said it protects them. We cut a hole in his suit to see if he spoke the truth and he did. He died after his skin started burning." 

I nod at her, processing the information she has given me. That's interesting. If they have to protect themselves against radiation, that must mean they have been living in that mountain all this time. And the Grounders have been outside since the beginning, they have developed to withstand radiation. Wait..

"Lexa, I know why they're taking your people." My eyes widen in realisation.

Lexa frowns at me and I hastily continue. "The Maunon have been living in that mountain all this time right?" I wait for her to nod. "And your people have been outside since the beginning." She nods again. "I think they are taking your people for blood transfusions and experiments. They want to be able to be outside again."

Lexa's eyes widen and her mouth drops open slightly. "I never thought of that." I feel proud of myself for figuring that out. 

"So, how do we get our people back?" She asks once she has processed everything. I notice how she is saying our people which makes me warm up inside. 

I sigh. "I don't know. We need to know what their mountain looks like on the inside and what they're capable of. We're gonna need a person on the inside." My face saddens. We will need someone on the inside, meaning one of our own has to risk their life to get inside. 

Lexa seems to notice and reaches her hand out, grabbing my hand. "We can do this Clarke." She says reassuringly while looking into my eyes. 

I sigh again. "I hope so." I murmur. "We will need to talk about this with Anya and Indra, as well as my people at the dropship." 

"Agreed." Lexa nods. "I will have guards prepare our trip to your people while we talk to Anya and Indra in the morning. It's too late for that now."

I smile at the thought of seeing my people again. I miss them a lot. And I will be able to speak to my mother again. Plus, I get to bring the Commander with me. I wonder what she'll think of my friends and what they'll think of her.

"I'm excited to see your people." Lexa says softly with a smile on her face, like she is reading my mind. 

I smile at her. "They'll like you, especially my friends." 

Lexa raises an eyebrow. "How are you so certain?" A hint of worry laces her voice. 

"They respect me, they trust my opinion." I say as I look into her eyes. "Don't worry." I say comfortingly.

She looks into my eyes, searching for any indication of me not telling the truth. She nods and smiles when she is satisfied. 

She speaks up after we've been staring for awhile. "Can I see what you were drawing earlier?" She asks hesitantly. 

Oh crap. She'll see that drawing of her. Float me. "Uh yes, you can." I blush while I grab my sketchbook. I sit back down and gesture for Lexa to sit next to me. She immediately gets up to sit next to me. I hand her my sketchbook, still blushing at the thought of her seeing the drawing. 

Lexa flips it open on the first page, showing one of the first drawings I made when I came down. It's a drawing of the sight when we first came down, the enormous trees and beautiful nature surrounding us. 

"Wow this is amazing." Lexa says softly while staring at the sketch. A blush creeps on my face. "Thank you." 

She flips to the next page, showing a drawing of Raven. I smile at the drawing, happy to know I'll see her again soon. "That's Raven Reyes, she is my friend. And she is the mechanic I told you about." Lexa nods and smiles when she hears the excitement in my voice. 

She continues to the next page. Octavia's bright smile fills up the page. I drew the moment of her stepping out of the dropship, when she threw her hands in the air and screamed 'We're back bitches!'. I chuckle at the thought. "That's Octavia, she is Bellamy's sister. She is a good fighter and hunter. I think she has a thing for Lincoln." Lexa's stifled laughter makes me warm up. 

The next pages are drawings of Bellamy, Monty, Jasper and some of the other kids, including Murphy, Wells and Finn. I tell Lexa who everyone is and describe what they're like and what they do. Her jaw clenches when I tell her about Finn and how he tried to flirt with me. Is she jealous?

The next page turns to a drawing of my parents. My mom's soft eyes and my dad's amazing smile are making me tear up. I am impressed by how well I managed to put them on paper, especially my dad. I miss them a lot. I miss their embrace. I try to hold back my tears but I know that I'm failing when I feel the wetness on my cheeks. 

Lexa notices and wraps an arm around me. I put my head on her shoulder while she runs her fingers through my hair. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't need to. Her comforting embrace is enough to ease my mind. The tears stop and I let out a breath. "Thank you Lexa." I say quietly. She gives me a soft smile and flips it over to the next page.

Float. Me.


	11. Chapter 11

Clarke's POV 

There it is. The drawing of Lexa. Her beautiful face focusing on her work. I drew it so detailed, you can see the way she had her eyebrows furrowed. My face heats up as Lexa studies the drawing. Her mouth drops open slightly and I can see a dark blush colouring her cheeks. She turns to look up at me with those gorgeous green eyes. "This is me?" She says softly. It sounds more like a statement than a question. 

"Yes." I respond shyly. I look away, avoiding her eyes on me and trying to hide that I'm blushing. "Do you like it?" I murmur, still not looking at her. 

Lexa puts her fingers against my chin and makes me look at her. "I love it, Clarke." She says quietly. Her eyes glance down and immediately shoot back up again. Did she just look at my lips again? Does she want to kiss me? I feel my cheeks burn as she stares at me. I manage to choke out a "Thank you." The corners of her mouth twitch up in a slight smirk. Gods, she is so hot. 

Lexa clears her throat and turns her attention back on my drawings. She flips it to the next page, showing a drawing of an intimidating looking Anya. Lexa chuckles. "This is great. Anya would love this." I smile at her praise. 

She turns it over to the next page, a rough sketch of Lincoln showing up. "Oh that's not done yet." 

Lexa nods and smiles. "It looks good already." She closes my sketchbook and puts it away. "You're a great artist, Clarke." She says as she looks up at me. 

I blush and smile back at her. "Thank you Lexa." 

I stand up and yawn, making Lexa chuckle as she stands up. "Get some rest Clarke. Anya will wake you." I groan out loud. "Don't worry, I have made sure she will wake you in a normal way." 

I flash her a thankful smile and grab my stuff. I turn back to Lexa who is watching me with a fond expression. 

"Goodnight Clarke." She gives me one of her beaming smiles. 

"Goodnight Lexa." I smile at her and lean in to kiss her cheek. 

Holy crap. 

Did I really just do that?

I give her no time to respond and rush out of her tent. My heart is pounding while I quickly head over to my tent. 

Once I reach it, I practically stumble inside. I set down my stuff and take my clothes off. I get into bed and sigh. Gods, the effect she has on me. I just kissed her cheek. And I practically ran out. Way to go Clarke. 

I fall asleep after a moment of me worrying about my actions. I feel excited for tomorrow because I'll be seeing my friends again, but I'm also nervous. Lexa will probably want to talk about that kiss, and I wonder what she'll think of my friends. 

•

I slowly wake up and blink my eyes open. A grinning Anya is right in front of me. I groan and turn my back to her, knowing she is gonna tease me about the kiss. 

"Goodmorning Clarke." She drawls. 

"Goodmorning Anya." I mumble, still having my back towards her. 

"I heard you did something interesting last night." I can practically feel her smug expression. 

I sigh and turn around to face her. I sit up and run my hand through my hair. I'm worried. What if I messed up everything. What if she doesn't like me in that way. 

"You worry?" Anya remarks, noticing I'm overthinking this. 

I nod. "I like her. I don't wanna mess it up." I look at the ground.

"Mess it up? Clarke, when I came in her tent this morning she had the widest grin on her face." Anya says comfortingly. 

I look up at her kind words. "Thank you Anya." 

She nods. "Pro (you're welcome). Now get dressed, we'll have breakfast in Heda's tent." Anya gives me small smile and heads outside of my tent to wait outside. 

I get up and quickly get dressed. I run my fingers through my hair and scrunch up my nose at the tangles I'm feeling. I'll have to go over to the river later when we're at the dropship. 

I step outside and head to Lexa's tent with Anya. Lincoln instantly joins us as we walk over. He seems in a good mood, probably because he's coming with us and will be able to see Octavia again. 

We reach Lexa's tent rather quickly and step inside while Lincoln waits outside for us. My eyes immediately lock on Lexa while I feel a blush climbing up my neck. She is staring at me as well, giving me a smirk so small you would not be able to notice it if you don't focus on it. 

"Let's focus on what you wanted to discuss Lexa. You have time to look at each other lovingly all you want later." Anya says, snapping us out of our gaze. We both blush and break eye-contact. I look over to Anya, who is standing next to an amused looking Indra. I glance back over at Lexa. She gives me a supportive look, letting me know she wants me to tell them about my discovery. 

I sit down and begin to tell them about my thoughts. Why the Maunon are taking the Grounders, and that we are gonna need an inside man. Anya and Indra seem to understand but are not looking pleased. 

"Why not just storm the mountain?" Indra asks, skeptical of my plan. 

"That mountain withstood a nuclear war. We wouldn't stand a chance."  I explain. 

"We will discuss this later with SkaiKru when we get there. Clarke tells me they have smart people who are able to help us." Lexa jumps in. 

Anya and Indra nod while I feel myself smiling at the thought of seeing my people again. 

"I have to warn you, they eat like animals. Even worse than Clarke." Anya says in a threatening tone but her voice is laced with amusement. 

"It's true." I shrug.

"Is that even possible?" Indra asks, making Anya and Lexa chuckle. 

"I'm not that bad compared to them!" I protest. 

All this talk about food has made me even more hungry and it shows when my stomach grumbles. Right on cue, Lincoln steps inside and sets down 2 trays of food for us. He bows his head and steps back outside. I hand us all a plate and happily indulge. For once, they don't comment on my way of eating and we finish pretty quickly. I stack the dishes and give them to a guard outside. 

"Our horses are ready. Go grab what you need and meet us at the stable." Lexa says when I step back inside. I nod at her and turn to head over to my tent but stop when Lexa speaks up again. "Clarke, can you stay for a second."

Oh crap. Here we go. She wants to talk about the kiss. I feel my nerves bubble up and my heartbeat rises in my throat. 

While Indra and Anya head out, Anya gives me smirk and mouths "good luck" at me. She quickly closes the flaps of the tent behind her before I can say anything. 

I turn to Lexa and sit down. My mouth drops open slightly while I watch her gathering her stuff. She straps her swords on her back and sheathes her favourite dagger, the one she used to intimidate when we first met. I have to admit, it's pretty hot watching how effortlessly she straps everything on. Damn it Clarke. Focus. I shake my head subtly and look at her face again. She looks at me with a smirk on her face, her eyebrow cocked up. Gods. She is so hot when she does that. 

"Why did you want me to stay?" I mumble, trying to focus on something else than how attractive Lexa is. 

"I want to discuss something with you." She says as she sits down in front of me. I swallow. Float me. I nod at her, not trusting my voice right now. 

She continues. "Anya told me you do not know how to ride horses. Are you okay with riding with me on my horse?" I blink at her words. That is not what I expected. Is she avoiding talking about the kiss on purpose? 

"Oh. Yeah I'm okay with that." I smile at her, still slightly confused as to why she wanted to ask me that in private. 

"Okay, good." She smiles back. "I wanted to discuss that in private in case you were not comfortable with it." I swear she can read my mind. My smile grows, she is so considerate and kind. 

"I'll go with you to your tent so you can get your stuff." She stands up again and slings a bag over her shoulder. I nod at her and head out of the tent, followed by Lexa. We're not joined by Lincoln so he must be at the stables already. We get to my tent quickly and I step inside to gather my stuff. I feel Lexa's eyes on me, watching me, while I grab everything I need. I sheath my swords and grab my dagger. I sling my bow and quiver filled with arrows on my back as well as my bag filled with bandages, water, food and a map.

We walk over to the stables in silence. The others are already there and are strapping up the horses. A beautiful dark brown horse with a white diamond on his nose stomps his feet when we approach. That must be Lexa's horse, judging from the way her face lights up at the sight of him. She gently touches the horse's nose and lets her hand glide along his body as she walks around him, letting him know where she is. Lexa makes sure all the straps are on correctly and easily gets up on the horse. She holds out her hand and gestures for me get up as well. I grab her hand and get myself up. I'm impressed by how easily that went. 

Lincoln comes up to us on his horse. "We're ready to go." He nods and gets in front of us. Lexa clacks her tongue and we start moving. Anya and Indra are behind us, and behind them are 3 more guards. I don't miss Anya's smirk when I look behind me. I roll my eyes fondly and turn back around. I wrap my arms around Lexa's waist, using the excuse that I won't fall off the horse. I can feel her breathing hitch as I wrap my arms around her, which makes me blush slightly. 

I close my eyes and begin to doze off until Lexa's voice snaps me out of it. "Clarke, we're here." I jolt up and accidentally squeeze her waist in excitement. "Already?" 

Lexa chuckles quietly. "You fell asleep during the ride." I blush at that. Of course I fell asleep while holding onto Lexa's waist. 

The horses stop moving and I look over Lexa's shoulder to see the familiar gate. Luckily the kids don't have their weapons pointed at us this time. I get off the horse and land my feet on the ground with a soft thud. Lexa follows my lead and leaves her horse to one of the guards. 

We walk towards the gate together while the rest stays put. I notice Lexa's worried eyes as she stands beside me. I quickly squeeze her hand in attempt to calm her nerves. She relaxes slightly and lets out a breath. 

The gate opens and I am tackled to the ground by Raven's familiar embrace. "Clarke!"

"Clarke!" Raven excitedly yelps into my ear. Her voice is thick of emotion. I feel myself tear up as well.

"Hey Rae." I smile and wrap my arms around her. We're still laying on the ground.

"You've been gone too long Princess." She murmurs into my shoulder, hiding the fact she is crying. 

"I know Rae, I'm sorry. There have been some...developments." I say quietly as I glance up at Lexa's confused look.

Raven stands up and helps me get up as well. "Developments?" She asks curiously while dusting off her clothes. 

I smile at her and motion at Lexa. Raven glances over at her and her face turns serious. "You must be the Heda. I am Raven Reyes." Raven nods respectfully and holds out her hand. Lexa tries to keep her face straight but I can see her eyes glimmer with amusement. "Yes, I am the Heda. It is nice to meet you Raven." Lexa grasps Raven's forearm, making her look up in surprise. I have told Raven how grasping each other's forearms is a sign of respect. 

Indra, Anya and Lincoln have gotten down from their horses as well and are standing a few feet behind us, while the guards hold on to all of our horses. Raven gestures for us to come further and the gate closes behind us as we step in. A few kids immediately come up and lead the horses to the stables. They have really improved since last time. 

"Princess!" I hear Octavia call out excitedly as she pushes her way through the crowd. Bellamy is right behind her with a smile on his face. Octavia wraps me up in a tight hug and sniffles into my neck. "Hey O." I say as I hug her tightly. 

"I missed you." She murmurs quietly. "I missed you too." I say with a smile on my face while I pull back out of the hug. 

Bellamy wraps me up in a hug as well. "Welcome back Princess." I hug him and feel how he tenses up at the sight of the others. I pull back and let them introduce themselves to Lexa. 

Octavia is the first to greet her. "Heda. I am Octavia Blake. It's an honour to meet you." She bows her head respectfully. Lexa's lips twitch of amusement at how formally Octavia greets her. "It is nice to meet you Octavia." Lexa says and grasps her forearm as well. Octavia's eyebrows raise in surprise, a grin creeps up on her face as she looks behind us at Lincoln. 

Bellamy steps in front of Lexa. I can tell he is holding back his judgement. Lexa seems to notice and her stand straightens, making her look even more intimidating than she already was with her warpaint on her face, squinting at him and eyeing him carefully. 

"I am Bellamy Blake. It's good to meet you Heda." He bows his head in respect to my surprise. 

"It's good to meet you too, Bellamy." Lexa says as she grasps his forearm, showing she has respect for him, but the wary look in her eyes doesn't leave.

I motion for the others to come up as well. Anya has a small smile on her face and gives Raven and Octavia a quick hug, which surprises me and Lexa. She nods curtly at Bellamy, still remembering his words from last time.

Indra comes up with a skeptical scowl on her face. "I am Indra kom Trikru. I am the war chief of TonDC." She nods at Raven, Octavia and Bellamy. They introduce themselves and go over to greet Lincoln. 

Lincoln grasps Raven's forearm, giving her small smile and he nods respectfully at Bellamy. Lincoln reaches his arm out to grasp Octavia's forearm but she pulls him in a hug unexpectedly. They both have dopey grins on their face. 

"I can see what you mean." Lexa whispers to me while watching Lincoln and Octavia's interaction. I chuckle quietly in response. 

I clear my throat, making Lincoln and Octavia snap out of their loving daze. "We have things to discuss." They all nod and Raven leads us through the crowd, inside the dropship, up to the meeting-room. I sit down next to Lexa at the huge metal table, knowing she is nervous about meeting my people.

"What is it you want to discuss?" Raven prompts while she sits down. 

"Our enemies." Anya deadpans. I hastily continue when Bellamy, Raven and Octavia look up in shock. "She is right. Our enemies. The Mountain Men. They are people who live in a mountain and can only come outside in special suits that protect them against radiation. They kidnap The Grounders and experiment on them, do blood transfusions, while they turn others into Reapers. Reapers are cannibalistic beasts, controlled by a drug from The Mountain Men. We need to stop them." 

Raven and Octavia nod understandingly while Bellamy looks skeptical. He scoffs. "And why would we help them?" 

I sense how Lexa, Anya, Indra and Lincoln all tense up but before I can answer, Lexa speaks up. "Considering they take our people for our blood, it won't be long until they begin taking your people too. We have been trying to defeat them for years but we have not succeeded yet, we need your help to defeat them." She's using her 'Commander-tone' as I'd like to call it, which is very hot in a way. 

"And how are we going to defeat them?" Octavia questions.

"That's the problem, we have no idea what they're capable of and what their mountain looks like inside. We will need an inside man if we want to stand a chance." I explain. Raven, Octavia and Bellamy frown at that but seem understanding.

"You're right, but how are we going to do that?"  Raven questions.

"Lincoln told me about the tunnels the Reapers use, they lead directly to a door from the Maunon. We could have one of our own pretend to be a Reaper and see if we can get inside that way. Or we could let them capture us." 

"Both options sound extremely dangerous." Octavia says hesitantly.

"I know, but those are the only options we got." I say, grimacing. I am very aware of how dangerous this is. 

"I think the best option is to have one of our own pretend to be a Reaper for a few days and then come back to us. We can gather information that way before we decide to do anything else." Anya says. The others nod in agreement. 

"We should scout the caves first." Indra chimes in. 

"Very well. We will start planning this tomorrow, right now I think we all could use some free time." Lexa speaks up, making eye-contact with everyone as she speaks. Her gaze lingers longer on me, which makes me blush.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." I say, smiling at her.

We all stand up and head outside again. The guards are taking care of the horses and explaining things about horses to some of the kids. It's good to see my people have become more accepting. 

"Heda, Indra, would you like to see the camp?" Raven asks curiously. 

Lexa looks at me first before answering. I give her a comforting smile, letting her know I'll be with her. "Yes I would love to." She says as she turns back to Raven. Indra just nods. 

"Awesome!" Raven smiles proudly and gestures for someone to come over. A boy I think is called Atom hurries to us. "Can you round up some people and prepare the tents for our guests?" Raven asks Atom. 

Atom glances over at us and the guards and frowns. "We don't have enough tents. Someone will need to share." 

"I don't mind sharing." I immediately prompt. But apparently Lexa was thinking the same thing as she says the same thing at the same time. 

"Well that's settled then." Raven smirks, making Anya snicker. I blush as I glance over at Lexa. 

"You don't have to, I can share with someone else." I quietly suggest. 

Lexa tries to hide her smile and shakes her head. "We can share, it's okay." 

"You heard it Atom." Raven nods at him and he scurries off again. "I'll help him. I have seen the camp before." Anya speaks up and follows Atom.

"Lincoln? Would you like to train with me?" Octavia asks shyly, shifting nervously on her feet. Lincoln just smiles widely in response and they head off together, leaving Raven, Bellamy, Indra, Lexa and me alone. 

"Alright, ready?" Raven asks us. 

We nod and start walking, having Raven lead us. As last time, she shows us around happily, proudly providing us with information. Bellamy leaves us halfway during the tour, deciding to send out a hunting party. 

Lexa and even Indra seem impressed by the camp. And I have to say, I am impressed as well. It never fails to surprise me how far we've come. 

When we're done with the tour, Raven leads us over to the tents. "Indra, this is yours. You can check it out now if you want." She motions at a rather big tent. Indra nods respectfully, finally not having her usual skeptic scowl on her face, and heads into her tent.

"Clarke, you and Lexa will be using your tent." Raven says with a smug expression. I roll my eyes and sigh. 

"Do you want to see the tent now?" I ask Lexa quietly. She gives me a small smile in response and nods. I turn back to Raven to respond but I am cut off by her waving her hand and chuckling. "Go. I will come get you when dinner is ready. Maybe we can talk to your mom later." 

I grin widely in response and mouth her a "thank you" as I grab Lexa's hand and pull her along. I don't miss how she blushes when I take her hand.

"Why is your tent not with the others?" Lexa asks me quietly.

"I wanted to have more privacy." I explain. Bellamy, Raven, Octavia and I have our tents in different locations than the rest of the tents. We all wanted to have our own space, not surrounded by a bunch of others, so we could have our rest. 

We get to my tent and I hold open the flaps for her, unfortunately having to let go of her hand in order to do so. She steps in and I follow her, closing the flaps of the tent behind us. I can tell she is still nervous about meeting my friends. 

"Sit." I order her. She sits and looks up at me with a cocky smirk and her eyebrow raised. Float me. Why does she have to be so hot. I shake my head subtly and clear my throat. "You're still nervous?" I ask gently. 

Lexa sighs and looks away. "Yes, and I'm just worried. I want your people to like me." She mumbles. It's adorable how she worries. 

"Lexa." I sit in front of her and put my fingers on her chin to make her look at me. She stares at me with those beautiful green eyes and it makes my breathing hitch. "You worry about nothing. Believe me, they like you."


	12. Chapter 12

Clarke's POV

"You worry about nothing. Believe me, they like you." I say as I stare into Lexa's mesmerising eyes. 

She gives me a small smile and sighs. "I do believe you." 

I smile at her and boop her nose, making her frown at me and wrinkle her nose. She looks adorable. "You know, you look way less intimidating when you make that expression." I chuckle at her.

Lexa purses her lips together and stands up in front of me. She clenches her jaw and looks down at me with an almost emotionless look on her face but her eyes betray her amusement. She can look very intimidating when she wants to, especially when she is wearing her warpaint (which also kind of reminds me of a raccoon) like right now, but I can't help but grin at her. I know she doesn't like to be called cute or less intimidating because she is 'the Commander of the 12 clans' and all, but I can tell she finds this amusing. 

I roll my eyes fondly. "Yes, fine, you're very intimidating Heda." I say as I stand up, emphasising 'Heda'. Lexa drops her act and smiles at me, one of those beautiful beaming smiles she only allows herself when we're alone. 

I can't help but tease her more. "You look very scary for a raccoon." I say while I give her a wink. 

Lexa gasps dramatically. "I am not a raccoon!" She protests. 

"Really? Your warpaint tells me differently." I chuckle at her reaction. Lexa looks at me with a sad expression, looking dramatically hurt by my words.

"I'm kidding. I like your warpaint, it does make you look very intimidating." And hot. Focus Clarke. Damn it. I shake my head subtly and giver her a small smile.

"Hot?" Lexa cocks her head. 

My eyes widen. Oh crap. I said that out loud? 

Float me. 

"How can my warpaint make me look warm?" 

"Uhm.. it doesn't mean it makes you look warm..." I begin hesitantly and look away to avoid her eyes. "It means that it makes you look attractive." I mumble, looking at the ground while I can feel myself blush deeply.

"You think I'm attractive?" Lexa questions. Her gentle voice makes me look up a her again. Her cheeks are slightly coloured.

I nod at her. "Yes." I say quietly while looking into her eyes. She gives me an adorable smile and I can see the blush getting darker on her cheeks. Our faces are only inches away. Her eyes flicker down to my lips again. I glance down at her lips and I'm met by her staring back at me when I look up. I'm about to lean in until I hear a loud noise outside, snapping us back to reality.

I sigh and turn around to head outside of my tent until I feel Lexa's hand grip my wrist, tugging me back to face her. I frown at her but before I can speak up, she pulls me into a searing kiss. I instantly melt against her lips, my hands go up to hold her incredible jaw while she rests her hands on my waist, gently pulling me closer. The kiss is intoxicating and full of unspoken passion, driven by emotions we've been holding in for much too long and I want to drown in it. 

Lexa pulls back abruptly, eyes wide with fear. "Clarke... I am sorry, I didn't mean-" She stammers out before I interrupt her.

"-Shut up." I whisper against her lips, grinning like an idiot as I pull her back. 

Lexa smiles against my lips before kissing me back, her arms wrapping tightly around my waist, pulling me impossibly closer. Our lips move effortlessly together, like we have been kissing each other for years. 

"Heda! Clarke!" Anya's voice calls out from outside. 

Ugh...

I pull back and rest my forehead against Lexa's, jutting out my bottom-lip. Lexa chuckles and kisses my pout away, she pulls back and rests her forehead against mine. "We should see what's going on." She mumbles, grinning widely.

"We should." I mumble back, a stupid smile on my face. 

She gives me a quick kiss again. "We will talk about this later." 

I nod at her and smile, hiding the fact I am a little nervous about the talk we will have later. I hope we're on the same page about this and that she likes me just as much as I like her, but guessing from the way she just kissed me, I think we're good. We fix ourselves and head out of the tent together, both still blushing deeply. Lexa immediately turns back into Commander-mode as I'd like to call it when we step outside, but I can tell she is holding back a smile from appearing on her face. 

"Anya, what is it?" Lexa prompts when we approach her. She is sitting on a log, playing with her dagger while staring off at the training-grounds.

Anya looks up at us and smirks while flickering her eyes between us. "Apologies, did I interrupt something?" 

Lexa throws a glare at her. "Anya." She says warningly. 

Anya rolls her eyes. "Fine. I called you because a kid is challenging one of the guards. I would step in but I don't want to break their noses. I assumed you might want to handle this." 

I sigh at that. Of course one of the kids is stupid enough to challenge a guard. "Where?" I ask Anya, letting the annoyance lace through my voice.

She points her dagger towards the training-grounds. "Over there." She says as she stands up. 

I gently touch Lexa's hand and walk towards the training-grounds. Anya and Lexa are following me and I can hear Anya tease Lexa in Trigedasleng, but they're speaking too quietly for me to understand everything.

Surely I can see Murphy challenging an annoyed looking guard. Murphy must have a death wish if he's stupid enough to challenge someone as big as this guard. Ryder is his name. He is extremely tall, overly muscled and has tattoos on his face which makes him look very intimidating. I can tell Ryder is losing his patience and is about to lash out if Murphy doesn't stop. 

I quickly push my way through the crowd that's already gathered around. "Hod op! (Stop!)" I call out sternly to Ryder as I put myself in between them when he is about to hit Murphy. He lowers his fists but keeps them balled while angrily eyeing Murphy behind me. I sense Murphy move behind me to throw a punch but I quickly block it by grabbing his fist without looking. "I suggest you stop before I'm the one throwing fists." I grumble while turning to face Murphy. 

He scowls at me when yanking his arm back and turns around. I turn back around to Ryder who still seems angry and has his fists balled. He could've easily killed Murphy in a second but he didn't and I'm thankful for that. I squeeze his shoulder and flash him a thankful smile, he nods at me respectfully and relaxes slightly. 

I'm about to step away until I see Ryder's eyes glance up behind me worriedly. As a reflex I grab Murphy's fist that's about to hit me from behind. I move swiftly to get behind him and twist his wrist up against his back and hold my dagger against his throat. Murphy grunts in pain when I push his arm further up his back. "You're gonna walk away now. Next time I catch you doing this, you won't get off so easy." I grumble into his ear. He yanks himself loose and walks away with a scowl on his face, pushing himself through the crowd. 

I scan the crowd and my eyes lock on an impressed but concerned looking Lexa. I give her a reassuring smile, letting her know I'm okay, which makes her relax slightly. 

"Nice one Princess!" Raven speaks up. I didn't even know she was watching. She must've joined the crowd while I was too focused on stopping this fight. "Alright guys, party is over! Dinner is ready." She waves her hand up in the air, making the crowd thin out and head over to the fire-pit where dinner will be served, leaving Lexa, Anya, Raven and me alone. 

Lexa walks over to me and looks me over worriedly. "I'm okay." I say gently. She looks up at me and searches my eyes for any indication of me not telling the truth. She nods and gives me a small smile.

"Okay lovebirds, let's get dinner." Raven says teasingly, making Anya chuckle. Raven holds up her hand to high-five Anya but since the Grounders are not used to our ways, Anya gives Raven a confused look. Raven rolls her eyes and grabs Anya's hand and taps it against hers. "This is called a high-five." She explains. Anya furrows her brows and shrugs. 

I roll my eyes fondly at them and begin heading over to the fire-pit with Lexa staying close to me. Her hand occasionally brushes against mine while she walks next to me, making us both blush slightly. I can practically feel Raven's and Anya's smirks pointed at us.

Indra, Lincoln, Octavia and Bellamy are already sitting at the fire-pit when we reach it. Lincoln and Octavia are sitting extremely close to each other, which is making Bellamy look awfully displeased. I chuckle at the sight of it when I sit down as well, Lexa joining me next to me. Anya and Raven sit down next to us and Atom starts handing out food to everyone. 

We begin eating and in no-time Indra and Lexa have a look of disgust on their faces as they watch the Skaikru kids eat. "Told you so." Anya says with her mouth stuffed with food, chuckling, when she sees their expressions. 

"You aren't exactly a sight to look at either when the food is falling from your mouth as you speak." Lexa chimes in. Anya puts a hand to her chest dramatically (something she must have learned from Raven) and glares at us when I chuckle quietly. The others, even Indra, have an amused look on their faces. 

We continue eating and during the rest of the night, Lexa entertains us with stories about their history and great battles that have been fought. She is an impressively good story-teller and I find myself to be extremely interested in what she tells us. 

When I notice everyone is done eating, I stand up to gather the dishes. Lexa watches me fondly while I'm busy cleaning up and I feel myself blush when I meet her loving eyes. I quickly finish up and sit down next to her again. 

"Shall we head back?" Lexa asks quietly after a moment. I swallow. We're gonna have to talk when we're in our tent. I nod at her and stand up. 

"I suggest we all should get some sleep. We will discuss further plans tomorrow." Lexa says as she stands up as well. They all nod and we bid everyone goodnight before heading off to our tent. Thankfully, we don't get any teasing comments as we walk off. 

We reach my tent and I feel my nerves bubble up as we step inside. I close the flaps of the tent behind us and turn around to face Lexa. I shift nervously while she watches me with her beautiful eyes. I just hope she wants the same thing.

Lexa has a gentle look in her eyes as she watches me. "We should talk." She says softly while sitting down.

I nod at her and sit down as well. I feel the nerves rising in my chest. I don't know how to start this conversation. "So.. uhm.." I begin hesitantly. "We kissed.. and I uh, well I liked it a lot and-" 

"Clarke." Lexa cuts me off while she watches me with an amused smirk on her face. 

I look at her and my nerves get the best of me. "Why did you kiss me?" I blurt out. My eyes widen once I realise how bluntly I said that.

Lexa gives me a gentle smile and shakes her head fondly. "I like you, Clarke." She states simply, as if she is telling me the ocean is blue and grass is green. 

The Commander of the 12 clans likes me.

A big smile slowly creeps on my face. "I like you too, Lexa." I murmur while looking into her eyes. 

Lexa's smile grows at my words. "Then we should discuss us." I nod at her and she continues. "Do you want to there to be an us? Do you want to become my... girlfriend? Is that what you call it?" Her brow furrowing as she searches for the right word. 

She is so cute. Jesus.

"Absolutely." I say as I widely grin at her. "Do you?" 

Lexa nods, smiling. "I would love that." 

Her expression grows more serious after a second and I frown at her. "Clarke, this will be dangerous for you. A Commander's life is not easy and I have many dangers to deal with. If you are to become my partner, you will become a target as well. It will make your life become more dangerous. Some even may attempt to take you and use you to hurt me." Lexa whispers that last sentence and her jaw clenches while she lets out a breath. 

"Just like what happened to Costia, right?" I question quietly.

Lexa nods again and looks up to meet my eyes. "Sha (yes), but you are stronger than her. Costia was not a trained warrior. She only knew basic fighting techniques, unlike you. I have seen you fight and you are an amazing fighter, you're already better than some of my most skilled warriors and I'm sure you will even succeed in outranking Anya and Indra if I continue to train you. Perhaps, you will get even better than me." I blush at her words and smile at her. Lexa smiles back and continues. "I do not need to protect you or worry about your safety, I will do so regardless, but I know you're strong enough to handle yourself." Lexa sits closer to me and grabs my hands. "Do you still want to become my girlfriend?" She questions softly while looking into my eyes, a hint of worry showing in her expression. 

I squeeze her hands before letting go and cupping her face gently. "Yes, and there is nothing that will make me change my mind on this. No matter how dangerous it will get, we have each other." I lean to kiss her, softly so she can pull back if she wants to, but instead she deepens the kiss. I pull back for a moment and rest my forehead against hers. "Do we need to keep our relationship a secret?" I let my concern show in my eyes. I really hope we wouldn't have to hide it, I mean, I'm dating the Commander, who would want to hide that? 

"Of course not." Lexa says reassuringly and gives me a quick kiss. "Would your people approve of this?" 

I shrug. "I'm pretty sure they will, especially my friends. Bellamy may have some issues with it, but that's just because he is overprotective. Once he finally realises I trust you and respect you, he will accept it." Lexa nods understandingly and smiles. 

"Will your people accept this?" I ask while gazing at her beautiful eyes.

Lexa's smile grows. "My people already love you, SkaiPrisa." I chuckle at the use of the nickname. "Indra may be wary of it, worried it will distract me from my duties, but she will accept it. Other than her, only Titus will have a problem with it." 

"Why?" I furrow my eyebrows. Lexa has told me a few things about Titus but I still don't know much about him.

"Hodnes laik kwelnes (love is weakness), he taught me that. Titus never approved of my relationship with Costia and when she died, his words became the truth." Lexa answers quietly, avoiding my gaze. 

"But you know better than that now, right?" I question, making her look at me. Lexa nods but I can still see worry showing in her eyes. "I have told you this before, hodnes nou laik kwelnes (love is not weakness). Loves gives us something worth staying alive for. We fight for our friends and family, for our people, because we love them. Love does not make us weak, if anything, it makes us strong." I say earnestly while looking in her eyes.

Lexa smiles at me lovingly. "You're right Clarke." She pecks my lips quickly. "Titus will hate you." She murmurs jokingly against my lips. I kiss her deeply until we're both smiling so much that our teeth clang. 

We both pull back, smiling and blushing deeply. "We should get some sleep." Lexa says as she stands up. I nod and stand up as well, grabbing some clothes for us to sleep in. 

"Are you okay with changing in front of each other?" I question hesitantly. 

Lexa blushes even deeper and smiles. "Of course." She murmurs. 

I shake my head fondly and hand Lexa her sleeping-clothes. She flashes me a thankful smile and turns around to take off her clothes. I watch how she takes off her armor and pulls her shirt off. My breathing hitches and I clench my jaw at the sight of her impressively muscled back and the amazing tattoo that runs down her spine. I quickly turn around, blushing deeply, before I get too distracted and start taking my clothes off as well. I try to change quickly but judging from the sharp intake of breath behind me, Lexa managed to catch a glimpse of me. I smile at myself and finish quickly. 

When I turn around, Lexa is staring at me with a dark blush colouring her cheeks. I lean in and give her a quick kiss before leading us into our bed. Lexa lays down on her back and I cuddle up against her, resting my head on her shoulder. 

She kisses my forehead "Goodnight Clarke." She murmurs.

"Goodnight Lexa." I sigh happily and fall asleep quickly, feeling content in her embrace. 

•

"Clarke." Lexa says softly, attempting to wake me up. I groan in response and nuzzle my head into Lexa's shoulder further. I feel the rumble in Lexa's chest as she chuckles at my response. 

"Clarke, we have to get up." Lexa kisses my forehead and tries to sit up. I whine unhappily and pull her back, clinging onto her so she can't move. 

"No we don't." I murmur into her neck. "Stay, you're comfy." 

"Clarke." Lexa says sternly but her voice is laced with amusement. I sigh and open my eyes to see Lexa gazing down at me. She forgot to take off her warpaint yesterday so it's smudged all over her face. I chuckle at the sight of it, making Lexa cock up an eyebrow at me in confusion. 

"Your warpaint babe, it's all over your face." I say as I boop her nose. Lexa scrunches up her nose and smiles at me. 

"What does 'babe' mean?" She asks, her eyebrows furrowed.

"It's a name you can call your partner, like niron (loved one). You know, terms of endearment." I explain. 

Lexa nods understandingly. "Are you okay with us calling each other things like that in public?" 

I smile at her sweet question and give her a quick kiss. "Of course." She smiles back at me and kisses me again before untangling herself. Lexa chuckles at my displeased sounds while she gets up.

I sit up on the edge of the bed and watch Lexa stretch, a sight that takes my breath away. She notices and smirks cockily at me. Gods, why does she have to be so attractive. I roll my eyes at her and stand up to get changed. She seems to think the same thing and turns around to get changed as well. 

Once I'm putting on my armor, I feel Lexa's hands on my hips from behind. I turn around in her arms, smiling and blushing at her while she adjusts my armor. When she is satisfied, I help her put on her armor as well, stealing kisses in between which is causing us take more time to finish. 

"Sit down." I order her once we're finished with our armor. She complies and looks up at me with a questioning look. I pour some water on a cloth and grab her face gently. I give her a quick kiss before cleaning the smudged warpaint off of her face. I can tell she feels more vulnerable without her warpaint but I know the glares she can throw will make up for her lack of warpaint to intimidate.

"Mochof (thank you) Clarke." Lexa says smiling when I'm done. 

"Pro (you're welcome). I couldn't let you walk out there looking even more like a raccoon than normal." I say teasingly. 

Lexa gasps dramatically and pouts at me. I kiss her, which makes her pout grow into a beautiful smile. I smile back and grab her hand lightly and lead us out of our tent, towards the fire-pit where breakfast will be served. I keep my hold on her hand light so she can take her hand back if she feels uncomfortable but she doesn't seem to mind and instead squeezes my hand and tightens her grip. I blush at the feeling and turn to look at Lexa, noticing a small content smile on her face and her cheeks are showing a light pink blush. Her strong hand fits perfectly in mine and it's scary how normal this feels, like we're made for each other. And maybe we are. 

All I can feel is an overwhelming wave of emotions that I can't quite figure out, and my stomach flutters with butterflies when I look at Lexa. 

My girlfriend. 

The fearless Heda. 

I'm so lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally ;)
> 
>  
> 
> I’ve started writing a modern clexa fic, would you guys be interested if i posted that?


	13. Chapter 13

Lexa's POV

Feeling Clarke's soft hand in mine as we walk over to the others makes me warm up inside. I never expected her to like me, let alone want to date me. My life is dangerous and it will bring dangers into her life now that we're dating, but she still said yes. That gorgeous human-being with those incredible blue eyes is my girlfriend. 

What did I do to deserve an angel like her. 

Gods, I am so lucky.

We head over to the fire-pit where breakfast will be served. When we approach, I can see the others already seated around the fire. I feel Clarke loosen her grip on my hand while we walk over there, I quickly squeeze her hand to let her know I'm okay with showing the others of our relationship. 

"Finally!" Anya says cheerily when she sees our entwined hands as we approach and pumps her fist up in the air, another thing she has learned from Raven. "I told you so Indra. You know the deal, clean my swords for a week." Anya muses, nudging an annoyed looking Indra. 

"So that is what you were betting on!" Clarke remarks, making Anya smirk at her and shrug. I roll my eyes at Anya's and Indra's childish behaviour and sit down with Clarke next to me.

"You were betting on when they'd start dating?" Raven asks, sounding impressed and delighted. 

Anya nods and holds up her hand to 'high-five' Raven, to her surprise. Another odd Skaikru tradition. I sigh at them, feeling not too pleased about bets being made on my love life, but I am glad Anya is getting along with Clarke's friends.

I glance over at Clarke who is watching Raven's and Anya's interaction with amusement in her eyes. I know she loves how they get along too. There's a small smile playing at her lips while she shakes her head subtly. She looks gorgeous with the light of the fire hitting her face, making her blue eyes stand out breathtakingly. I get so caught up in staring at her, I don't notice breakfast is being served until Raven's laughter snaps me out of my loving gaze. 

"Hey Commander Heart-Eyes, breakfast is ready." Raven snickers, making Clarke and Anya chuckle while the rest have amused expressions on their faces, even Indra. 

I blush deeply and turn my gaze away from Clarke and focus on the food being handed to me. Clarke squeezes my knee softly. "You're cute." She whispers. 

Instead of protesting, I give her a loving smile and shake my head fondly. We turn our attention back on our food and happily indulge. The food is surprisingly good and I make a mental note to thank the one who prepared it.

"So what's the plan for today?" Bellamy asks once we're finished eating. 

"We're gonna have to figure out when and how we'll be scouting the Reaper tunnels. And I guess we'll have the rest of the day off. Oh and I wanna talk to my mom." Clarke answers. 

The others nod and stand up. "Let's get to work then." Raven says and heads inside the dropship, with us behind her. We go to the meeting-room we sat in yesterday and Indra lays out a map of the tunnels.

I recognise the tunnels, but since Lincoln has been in them more often, he's got more experience and knowledge about them, so I let him do the explaining. 

After an hour or two of discussing back and forth, we finally settle on a carefully chosen route through the tunnels, with 3 back ups in case it's necessary. After we've discussed the route and it's back ups, I make sure to tell them about the dangers that may occur as well. 

"Now that you all are informed, do you still want to do this?" I ask, making eye contact with everyone in the room. They all confirm without hesitating, even Bellamy. "Very well." I nod at them. 

Raven claps in her hands, making us all jump slightly at the suddenness. "Now let's have some fun shall we." She asks us, grinning while rubbing her hands together. 

Octavia squeals at her words and practically runs out of the dropship, dragging a happy looking Lincoln with her.

"Not that kind of fun!" Raven calls out after her teasingly. 

Octavia sticks up her middle finger (which Clarke taught me is supposed to be offending) as she skips out. "We're going training, you perv!" 

Clarke sighs and rolls her eyes fondly. "Rae, can we talk to my mom?" She asks, hope evident in her voice. 

Raven beams at her. "Of course Princess." I smile lovingly at Clarke when her face lights up in relief and happiness, clearly excited to talk to her mother again. 

"Is it okay if I join you?" Anya questions. I am surprised by her question. I know she has talked to Clarke's mother before, but I didn't expect her to want to talk to her again. Clarke seems to share my surprise but nods at Anya with a wide smile on her face. 

"I will train with the guards, and maybe some fools who dare to try." Indra mumbles. I hold a smile back and purse my lips. "Very well, go easy on the SkaiKru kids if they wish to join you." I say, nodding at her. Indra nods back and heads out, leaving Anya, Raven, Clarke, Bellamy and I alone. 

Raven leads us out of the dropship and to her workroom, which she is extremely proud of (as she should be). Bellamy heads out a different way, deciding something else needs his attention. I relax slightly when he is gone, and I notice the others are more relaxed as well. Clarke wasn't wrong when she told me he would be wary of us. 

We step inside Raven's tent and Anya immediately flops down on the couch that has been set up, while Raven starts to push some buttons on a piece of tek (technology) Clarke told me is called a radio. 

"Ready?" Raven asks us.

"Wait." Clarke answers and turns her attention to me. "Are you okay with me telling my mother we are dating?"

"Of course." I respond, smiling while giving a kiss on the back of her hand. Clarke blushes and turns to Raven and nods at her. Raven flips a switch and a crackling noise comes through the radio. 

"Dr. Abby Griffin. This is Raven Reyes, come in. I repeat, Dr. Abby Griffin. This is Raven Reyes, come in." 

It stays quiet for a second until a voice, I assume is Clarke's mother, comes through, making us all perk up. "Raven? Hey Raven! How is it going? I assume Clarke is with you?" 

"Hey Miss G." Raven answers smiling. "Yeah she is right here."

"Hey mom." Clarke says, a wide grin on her face and emotion showing in her eyes. I put an arm around her in order to comfort her, and she relaxes slightly at my touch.

"Hey kiddo, it's so good to hear your voice again." Clarke's mother answers and I can hear the emotion evident in her voice. 

"It's good to hear yours too. I miss you mom, how is everything going?" Clarke responds, smiling. 

"I miss you too Clarke." Abby sighs. "It's going okay, we have been preparing our descend to Earth. It shouldn't be long anymore before we're ready for take-off." 

We're all surprised at her words. Clarke has told me they would come down soon, but I didn't expect them to come down this soon. Judging from the baffled faces of the others, they didn't expect it either. 

Clarke's surprised expression breaks into a beaming smile. "That is amazing!" She practically squeals, squeezing my arm in excitement. 

"It is indeed. I can't wait." Abby responds excitedly. "But how is everything going down there?" 

Anya and Raven both smirk up at us, knowing Clarke will have to tell her mother about our relationship. I feel nerves rising up my chest. I hope her mother approves of our relationship. Clarke seems to notice my nervousness and gives me a quick kiss on my cheek to comfort me. I relax slightly and let out a quiet breath. 

"Well.." Clarke begins slowly. "A lot has happened." Raven and Anya chuckle at that but give her a comforting look. 

"I wanna know everything." Abby says, interested in the happenings on Earth. 

Clarke swallows her nerves away and begins telling everything that has happened since last time she spoke to her mom. Anya and Raven jump in sometimes as well. Abby stays rather quiet, only asking questions when she needs further elaboration. 

"So you're dating the Commander of the 12 clans, who you just met, and now you're planning to take down that mountain?" Abby asks after Clarke is done explaining everything. She doesn't sound angry, instead she sounds concerned but impressed. 

I squeeze Clarke's hand softly to remind her I'm here, and she lets out a breath. "Yes." She answers quietly.

It stays quiet for a moment and it feels like we're all holding our breath, waiting for a response. 

Abby chuckles quietly. "Of course. How can I expect anything different from my daughter. Is the Commander with you right now?" 

"Yes, I am here. It is an honour to meet you Dr. Griffin." I speak up when Clarke gestures for me to do so. 

"You can call me Abby, you're dating my daughter after all." Abby muses. "It's good to meet you Heda, I can't wait to see you when we're down on the ground." 

A smile creeps up on my face. This is a way better reaction than I expected. "Very well, Abby." I emphasise her name. "It is good to meet you too." 

Abby lets out a laugh in response. "Well Heda." She emphasises. "Since you are dating my daughter, I have to give you the parent-talk." 

I raise an eyebrow and cock my head slightly. I do not know what that means, but judging from Clarke groaning unhappily, she does know what it is. "Mom please." She sighs.

"Shush Clarke." Abby says sternly with amusement lacing her voice. "Heda, I know you are the Commander of the 12 clans, but if you do anything to hurt my daughter I will not hesitate to bury you alive." 

My eyes widen. I know she is not entirely serious and if it were anyone else to threaten me like that I would cut their head off, but this is Clarke's mother and I have to respect her. 

"Abby, I'll give my life in order to protect Clarke. I can assure you I won't hurt your daughter." I say earnestly, earning a loving smile from Clarke. 

"Good. Now, I'm sure you have other things to do, so I will not keep you up any longer. Please be safe and take care of each other, all of you. I will see you soon." 

Raven and Clarke tear up slightly. "I love you mom." Clarke says. "Love you Miss G." Raven follows. 

"I love you too girls. Goodbye." 

We all say goodbye back and Raven flips the radio off. "So what would you like to do now?" Raven questions. 

"Have some fun." Clarke smirks, making Raven raise an eyebrow while grinning back. Anya and I share a confused look before being dragged out of the tent. 

"Where are we going?" I question when Clarke and Raven finally slow down their pace. 

"You'll see." Raven says with a smug expression.

 

Clarke's POV

Raven immediately understands what I'm aiming at when I tell her I want to have fun. Anya and Lexa have concerned expressions on their faces as Raven and I lead them over to the river. They've got no clue where we are going which makes it even funnier. 

When Raven and I first came to the ground, we found out that a lot of kids went to the river to bathe, but there's a more secluded area where some of the kids go to make out and stuff. We have been scaring the kids who go there for fun. Whenever a couple would be in a heavy make-out session, we'd make animal noises or shoot an arrow at them to scare them away. The frightened looks on their faces never fail to make me laugh. And I'm sure Lexa and definitely Anya will find it funny too.

We silently hide in some bushes where we can spot the lovebirds. Lexa and Anya still don't seem to understand. I tell them to be patient while Raven smirks at them. They nod at us and follow our lead.

It doesn't take long before we spot a couple heavily making out. I nudge Lexa gently and motion over at the couple. She glances over and mischief sparks in her eyes instantly, finally seeming to understand it. Raven grins at us and gestures for me to take lead. 

I nock an arrow and aim at a tree near the couple, making sure it's away far enough so I won't accidentally hurt them. I wait for a second to focus and then let the arrow fly from my bow, hitting the tree with full force. The couple jolts up and the guy even yelps in shock. They look like frightened deers in headlights. They immediately run off hastily, almost tripping over a few times. We all hold back our laughter and giggle quietly. Lexa looks beautiful when she is having fun like this, like there's nothing for her to worry about. I smile at her lovingly and she kisses my cheek quickly, probably knowing what I'm thinking.

After Raven clears her throat, we turn our attention back to spotting couples. Soon after, we see a familiar dark-haired girl pop up. Octavia, dragging a smug looking Lincoln along. 

Raven snorts quietly. "Training huh?" 

I chuckle when Anya scrunches up her nose in disgust, probably not too fond of seeing one of her warriors making out with someone, while Lexa has an amusing smile playing on her lips. 

I nod at Anya and Lexa and they immediately seem to understand my thoughts as they reach for their daggers. They both aim and wait for the right moment. Raven holds out an arm and focuses her gaze on Octavia and Lincoln, while silently murmuring under her breath; "Wait....wait.....not yet....."

I look over her shoulder to see what's she is waiting for. I chuckle quietly. She is waiting for Octavia and Lincoln to get in the right spot, between two trees, so Anya and Lexa can throw their daggers to both sides of them. They're gonna be scared to death. 

"Almost.....Okay, now!" Raven quietly orders and lowers her arm. 

Anya and Lexa focus on their aim and throw the daggers with deadly precision. They have the same technique of throwing their daggers, so accurate it's kind of frightening. Anya's dagger hits the tree right above Lincoln's head while Lexa's dagger hits the tree only inches away from Octavia's head. They jolt up and Octavia lets out a startled scream, even Lincoln yelps, making us all laugh quietly. After they calm down from the shock, Lincoln eyes the daggers suspiciously and glares up at the place we're hiding. How does he know where we are? 

"I didn't make him your personal guard for no reason." Anya says quietly, seeming to read my mind. 

Raven groans and stands up. "Seriously? You just knew it was us?" She calls out at them.

Lincoln shrugs. "I recognised the daggers, but you did manage to scare us." 

"Raven? What the hell? Was this your idea?" Octavia says angrily as we make our way over to them.

"Actually, this is courtesy of our Princess." Raven chuckles while I smile proudly, earning a glare from Octavia as she pushes my arm. Lincoln has a glint of amusement in his eyes, luckily.

"I'll get you back for this." Octavia grumbles, a smirk appearing on her face as she flickers her eyes between me and Lexa. Oh no. Great. Now she is gonna barge in on me and Lexa making out or something. 

"Lincoln, I don't recall this being called 'training'. Unless you're training for something else of course." Anya muses, raising an eyebrow at him.

Lincoln's cheeks burn up while the rest of us chuckle at them, earning a few more glares from Octavia. He is probably not used to his General and his Heda teasing him like this. 

After we're done pestering them, and Octavia is done glaring at us, we decide to head back to camp since it's starting to get time for dinner. Lexa entwines our hands while we walk back, earning a whistle from Raven, making us both blush slightly. I throw a glare over my shoulder and put up my middle-finger at her with my free hand. 

When we arrive at the fire-pit, some kids are already preparing food, and judging by the smell of it, it is probably almost done. Indra and the other guards are already seated around the fire, surprisingly joined by Bellamy. They seem to be having a normal conversation which makes me smile slightly. I am glad he is learning how to get along with the Grounders.

I sit down on a log with Lexa next to me on my right, not letting go of my hand. I'm left handed and she is right handed so we can still hold hands while we eat. Raven and Anya sit down next to me on my left, smirking at us while Lincoln and Octavia sit down in front of us, also holding hands. 

"So what's the deal?" I ask bluntly, nodding at their entwined hands. 

A blush creeps up on Octavia's face as Lincoln tries to avoid my eyes. "Uhm.. we are dating." Octavia murmurs quietly, making them both blush deeply. 

Bellamy perks up at that and glares at their direction, grumbling something under his breath. I throw a look at him that makes him pale and back down, giving me an apologetic look. No doubt we will talk about this later. 

"I'm happy for you, O." I say, smiling at her widely. The others nod in agreement and give her some supporting smiles, even Indra seems to approve. 

Raven eyes widen. "Oh my god, you know what means?" She says excitedly. 

I groan. What does she have in mind now. "What?" I ask hesitantly, not really wanting to know what she is thinking about. 

"You guys are Team GrounderPounder!" She says grinning at us. "Get it? You both are poun-" "Got it Rae." I cut her off, rolling my eyes at her. Lexa and Octavia have a dark blush on their faces, while the others are chuckling at us. "Besides, we haven't even done anything." I point out. 

Raven waves her hand dismissively. "Boring." 

I sigh at her and tighten my grip on Lexa's hand, earning a loving smile from her.

Raven's smirk curls into a pout. "Man, I wanna be Team GrounderPounder." She murmurs and turns her attention to Anya, cocking up an inviting eyebrow. 

Anya punches her arm. "I am with Niylah, as you know."

Raven rolls her eyes and rubs her arm. "I know, I was kidding." She sighs. I don't blame her, when I first met Anya I was surprised by her looks as well. She is definitely not bad-looking, and neither is Niylah. 

We laugh at their interaction while Atom hands out food. We happily indulge until Anya speaks up. "Heda, I know a Grounder fit for Raven." She smirks at Lexa.

Lexa's eyes widen and she shakes her head. "No it would be trouble if we set them up together." 

Judging from Lincoln's amused expression, he knows who they're talking about. While Raven, Octavia and I are looking at them with confused and curious expressions. 

Anya chuckles. "Yes, but they would fit together perfectly." 

Lexa sighs. "You are right. But they won't be able to meet unless I call a clan-meeting in Polis or I send an invite."

"Send an invite." Anya smirks.

"Sorry, but who is this Grounder?" Raven asks curiously. I share her curiosity. I wouldn't know who they are speaking off. The person probably doesn't live in TonDC because Lexa would have to call a clan-meeting or invite them in order for them to meet, so it's probably someone from another clan. 

"Patience, Raven." Anya says sternly while the amusement laces her voice, clearly enjoying this. 

"I still don't think this is a good idea." Lexa remarks.

"I agree with Heda." Indra chimes in. "They will be trouble together." She nods respectfully at Lexa.

Anya rolls her eyes. "You two are boring. Let them meet. You know they fit well together. Clarke can keep them in check, as can I." 

I hold up my hands. "I am not babysitting Raven and whoever you're setting her up with." 

Anya cocks her head slightly. "Babysitting?" She murmurs quietly. She shrugs and continues, "Lexa, just let them meet." Anya gives Lexa an almost pleading look.

I can see the gears working in her head while she thinks, twitching her jaw slightly from side to side like she does when she is speculating. It's an adorable habit and it makes me want to kiss her in front of everyone. 

"Very well." Lexa speaks up after a moment. "I will have her invited to TonDC." 

Anya cheers happily and turns to Raven. "You will thank me later." She smirks, earning a high-five from Raven. I chuckle at their interaction, glad they're getting along. 

We finish dinner quickly and I clean up the dishes when everyone is done. Lexa is looking at me with those heart-eyes as Raven calls it when I return. I smile at her while blushing slightly. "Come with me?" I ask while grabbing her hand as she stands up. She nods at me and tightens her grip on my hand as I lead the way. We earn a few whistles from Raven and Octavia while Anya throws us some teasing comments. We both ignore them and walk off together, not bothered by their teasing while we are stuck in our love-struck daze.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m sorry it’s been awhile. College has been killing me and I was away for 6 weeks for an internship. Writer’s block has been a bitch.... 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy!

Lexa's POV

I don't question Clarke when she leads me away from the others after dinner. She looks gorgeous while she pulls me along, occasionally throwing a loving smile back at me over her shoulder as I let her guide me. I don't pay attention to where she is leading me while I'm dazed by her beauty. I only have eyes for her. 

She stops and grins at me, gesturing for me to look around. We're on slightly higher ground, near the hiding place from earlier, looking out on the river. There is no-one here and my eyes widen at the realisation. Clarke told me people come here to make-out. Is that what Clarke wants to do?

Clarke sits down and taps the empty space on her right, gesturing for me to sit down. I comply and sit down. Clarke immediately cuddles up to me, putting her head on my shoulder and sighing contently. I put an arm around her and kiss her forehead. We sit in silence for awhile, words are not needed while we enjoy how right this feels. 

"Why did you bring me here, Clarke?" I ask after a moment, breaking the silence. 

"I used to come here at nights I couldn't sleep, before I went to TonDC with Anya. I come here to think about my parents and to admire the nature. I usually draw up here as well." Clarke murmurs and shrugs in response. 

"It's beautiful up here." I kiss her forehead. 

Clarke hums in response, nodding against my shoulder. "But I didn't bring you up here just to admire the view." Clarke says amused and tilts her head to look at me, cocking up a confident eyebrow. 

I cock my head slightly and raise an eyebrow in confusion while she stands up, pulling me up as well. She gives me a quick peck on the lips and guides me down to the river. She stops in front of the edge of the river and lets go of my hand to take off her shoes. 

"Let's go for a swim?" Clarke asks excitedly. 

"You want to swim? But it's getting dark. That's not very safe, Clarke." I respond, worry evident in my voice. 

Clarke grabs my hips and pulls me close. "You don't have to if you don't want to." She says while looking into my eyes. 

I give her small smile and kiss her softly. "I do want to, I just want you to be safe." 

Clarke grins at me. "You're cute when you worry." She gives me a quick peck. 

"Clarke, I am not cute. I am the He-" "Yeah yeah you're the Heda." Clarke cuts me off, waving her hand dismissively. "Now come on, not cute Heda, let's swim." She continues before I can respond, already taking her armor off.

Oh right, we are not wearing any clothes we can swim in. So that means we have to take them off... Does she want to swim naked?

Clarke seems to notice my worry and kisses my cheek. "We can swim in our undergarments, I brought blankets with me that we can use to cover us when we head back. Are you okay with that?"

I nod at her and smile widely as I begin taking my armor off. We both strip down to our undergarments and blush deeply when we look at each other, taking each other's bodies in. 

I gently place my hands on her waist and pull her closer. "Are you sure this wasn't just an excuse to see me without clothes?" I smirk at her. 

Clarke grins back at me. "Maybe." She shrugs and kisses me. I deepen the kiss, pulling her as close as I can while she goes up to cup my jaw and tangle one of her hands in my hair. I have noticed she is very fond of my jaw. We both pull back, breathless, and rest my forehead against hers while we smile widely. "Shall we?" I murmur while grinning at her. 

Clarke nods and pulls me along into the river. We step in and I shiver at how cold the water is. "Holy crap." I hear Clarke curse next to me. I chuckle quietly and slowly get in further. Even though the water is extremely cold, it is nice to be able to wash off all the dirt. We get in far enough that we're still able to stand. 

I close my eyes and sigh happily while I'm getting used to the temperature of the water. I hear movement in the water and before I know it, Clarke splashes me with water, giggling and immediately trying to swim away. I manage to grab her ankle before she's able to swim away, and pull her back. Clarke yelps and laughs when I grab her wrists so she is not able to swim away or splash me again. 

"Splashing the Heda, huh?" I ask sternly while faking a glare at her. "Do not forget, Clarke, I have been training to become a warrior since my 2nd Summer." I say as I pull her closer, our faces only inches apart. Clarke's eyes darken and she bites her lip, glancing down at my mouth. I let go of her wrists and grab her hips, pulling her as close as possible. 

"So what are you gonna do about it?" Clarke murmurs teasingly as she wraps her arms around my neck, her warm breath hitting my face while our lips are nearly touching.

I smirk at her and close the last space between our lips, kissing her deeply. We get so lost in the kiss that Clarke doesn't notice when I tighten my grip on her hips. I let myself fall backwards, pulling her along with me under water. Clarke immediately untangles herself from me and we get back up again, glaring at me when she has rubbed the water from her eyes. 

"Revenge." I chuckle at her before swimming off. I grin at myself when I hear Clarke groan out my name as I swim away from her. I slow down to let her catch up with me and soon enough I feel her hand grip my wrist, pulling me back to face her. Clarke scowls at me but her eyes betray her amusement. I wrap my arms around her neck and give her one of those smiles she melts at. 

Clarke's expression softens and she sighs. "I guess I deserved that." She murmurs while she lets go of my wrist, putting her arms around my waist. 

I give her a quick kiss and hum in response. "It's getting late hodnes (love), we should head back." I say as I glance up at the sky. Clarke visibly swoons at the pet-name and nods, grinning widely. 

We swim back and crawl on land again, shivering at the sudden coldness. Clarke wraps one of the blankets around me and hands me my clothes and armor. I manage to hold all of my stuff in one arm so I can grab Clarke's hand while she holds all of her stuff in one arm as well. It's really convenient to both have different dominant hands. 

"Follow me, this way is quicker and people won't notice us coming back." Clarke says as she leads us a different way back. 

Instead of going through camp, the route we take leads directly to our tent, thankfully. I don't want all of Skaikru to see me and Clarke nearly naked, especially Anya, Raven and Octavia since they would tease us endlessly. 

Luckily, we get back to our tent quickly and we set our stuff down. We let go of each other's hands and dry ourselves off using the blankets we had wrapped around us. I hang up the  now-wet blankets when we're done and hand Clarke some dry undergarments. She kisses my cheek quickly and turns around to change into her underwear as I turn around as well. We get changed quickly, eager to get in bed with each other and cuddle. 

I crawl in bed and open my arms, inviting Clarke to cuddle me as she crawls into bed. She curls up against me and rests her head on my chest while I wrap my arm around her and kiss her forehead.

"Niron (loved one)." Clarke says after a moment. I grin at the pet-name while she continues. "Who is the other Grounder you and Anya were talking about earlier?" She tilts her head slightly so she can look at me while I speak. 

"Luna." I simply say. Clarke gives me an unimpressed look and I chuckle quietly. "Luna is my sister." I deadpan. 

Clarke's eyes widen as she sits up, batting my arm playfully. "Sister? You never told me you had a sister!" 

I stifle my laughter and nod, humming in response. Clarke lays her head back down. "Why did you never tell me about her?" She asks quietly.

I sigh. "It's a long and complicated story." I murmur.

"You can tell me, if you want of course." Clarke says softly.

After a moment of thinking about it, I decide to tell her. "Luna is a Nightblood just like me and started her training first as Natblida, and a few years later, when I was discovered to have Nightblood as well, I was immediately sent to Polis to start my training too.  As you know, Nightblood is very rare, so to have more than one Natblida in a family, let alone in the same generation, is a miracle, and because of that, Luna and I were pushed harder than any other Natblida. We excelled in everything for years and both had very good chance of becoming Heda. But when the last Heda died and the Conclave started, Luna fled. She never explained to me why, but I am guessing it is because either she would've had to kill me or I would've had to kill her in order to become Heda." I pause for a moment, giving Clarke some time to process the information I just told her before I continue. "She was not found until years later, when she became clan-leader of Floukru. Titus urged me to have her killed but since she is my sister, I refused." 

"Titus is an idiot." Clarke grumbles, making me chuckle in response. "I can see why you don't like talking about that." She continues. "At least your sister is still alive." Clarke says, trying to cheer me up. 

I nod. "Indeed." Before I can continue to speak, Clarke sits up and bats my arm again excitedly. "Your back tattoo makes so much more sense now!" She cheerfully says. I have 7 circles on the bottom of my back tattoo, one for each Natblida at my conclave other than me. Luna was supposed to be the 8th circle. 

I chuckle at Clarke's adorableness and she lays back down again. "Are you gonna tell Raven?" She questions. 

"No, she will find out later." I smirk at Clarke. 

She chuckles. "I'm excited to meet your sister." She says before she stifles a yawn. 

"I'm sure she is excited to meet you too." I smile. "Let's sleep hodnes (love)." 

Clarke nods against my shoulder. "Goodnight babe." She mumbles sleepily. 

I kiss her forehead. "Goodnight niron (loved one)." I say, smiling, before I close my eyes and fall asleep. 

I feel happy and content and like a weight has been lifted off of my chest now that I've told Clarke the whole story about Luna and me. I don't really speak about it with others, but I can talk to Clarke. I trust her. She understands me and listens to me and I know she wouldn't do anything to hurt me.

 

Clarke's POV

I wake up in Lexa's arms and nuzzle myself against her, still having my eyes closed. Judging from the way Lexa is taking deep breaths, I know she is still asleep as well. The Commander of the Twelve Clans is much less intimidating when a quiet snore escapes her lips every so often. I feel a small smile forming my lips. The fearless Heda, The Great Commander, The Uniter of The Twelve Clans is my girlfriend. Out of all people she could be with, she wants to be with me. She chooses to trust me and be vulnerable around me. I know she talks to me about things she doesn't discuss with other people, for example; Luna, her sister. Of course Anya, Lincoln, Indra and Titus know who Luna is to Lexa and I'm sure some others are aware of it as well, but I'm certain Lexa doesn't speak about the painful history between her and her sister with others easily. And now that I know of Luna, I'm very curious to meet her.

I hear the flaps of our tent rustle and I blink open my eyes to see Octavia with a smug expression on her face as she sneaks up at our bed, while her hands are covered in mud. She stops in her tracks when she sees that I'm awake and quickly hides her hands behind her back, giving me an innocent look. 

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Seriously?" I say quietly, trying not to wake Lexa up. 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Octavia responds and holds up her hands in defence absentmindedly. A chunk of mud flies from her hands and ends up on my forehead. 

"Damn it Octavia! That's disgusting!" I grumble as I scrunch up my nose in disgust while Octavia is bending over from laughter. 

Lexa groans quietly as she wakes up from our interaction. "Clarke, what is happeni-" She cuts herself off when she opens her eyes and sees the chunk of mud on my forehead. Lexa purses her lips together, trying to stop a smile from appearing on her face as I glare at her.

Octavia is still cackling with laughter, clearly enjoying this. "Octavia, I will get you back for this!" I grumble at her. She waves her hand dismissively, still trying to catch her breath from laughing. 

I'm about to pounce on her, but Lexa holds me back, chuckling quietly. "Octavia, leave." She says in her Commander-tone. Octavia immediately complies, leaving us alone in our tent. I can hear her laughter outside while she walks off. 

I sit down and face Lexa while she is still laying down, propping herself up with her arms. I pout at her as she stifles her laughter. She grabs my face gently and kisses me, making me turn my pout into a smile. Lexa pulls back and grabs a cloth on the side of our bed and wipes the mud off my face while smiling at me, clearly amused. 

"Be grateful. She was planning to smear mud on both of us until she saw that I was awake. I got hit for the both of us!" 

Lexa chuckles quietly. "Yes, you are a hero, Clarke. I am so grateful." She says sarcastically. 

I squint my eyes at her and get on top of her, pinning her arms down. "Do you want me to get Octavia back here and smear mud on you instead?" I grumble playfully.

Lexa raises a cocky eyebrow. "You can, if you want her to see me in my undergarments." 

I widen my eyes, just now realising that while Lexa was under the furs when Octavia barged in, she was able to see me in my underwear when I was about to pounce on her. Oh well, she has seen me without clothes before when Octavia and I went swimming in the river when we first came down. But I don't want her to see Lexa without clothes. Only I am allowed to stare at her drool-worthy abs and muscles. 

"That's what I thought." Lexa says, chuckling and seeming to read my mind. 

I roll my eyes playfully and lean down to give her a quick kiss. "You can't blame me for not wanting others to drool over you." 

Lexa blushes and smiles at me. I practically melt at her beautiful smile and lean down to kiss her again. She deepens the kiss and I can feel her body tense under my grip. I grin against her mouth and kiss her hungrily. I hear a voice outside of our tent but choose to ignore it and focus on my incredibly hot girlfriend instead. 

"Hey, are you guys-Oh shit! Get it Griff!" Raven says as she barges in. Of course. 

I groan and sit up, throwing a glare at her. "I can't exactly 'get it' if you barge in." I grumble.

"Right, sorry Princess. Anyway, breakfast is being served, so if you want to eat some actual food instead of eating Commander Body-Builder over there, you should get up." Raven smirks and almost drools while staring at Lexa who is blushing deeply. 

"Rae! Get out!" I order her while throwing a pillow at her. Raven snickers and leaves the tent. I sigh and get off of Lexa, helping her up as well. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect them to barge in like that." 

Lexa smiles at me and gives me a quick kiss. "It is fine. I am surprised Anya has not walked in yet." She chuckles. 

I smile at her and hand Lexa her clothes. "She probably will, knowing her." 

"You are right Clarke." Lexa chuckles and gets dressed while I put on my clothes as well. 

We finish quickly and I grab Lexa's hand as we step outside, heading to the fire pit. The others are already seated around the fire, eating breakfast and smirking at us when we approach. I decide to ignore it and grab two plates of breakfast and sit down with Lexa next to me. I hand her a plate and we eat in relative silence. 

"When are we gonna scout the tunnels?" Octavia asks, breaking the silence. 

"In 2 days." Lexa answers, immediately slipping into Heda-mode. "I have sent guards to scout the woods around the tunnels. They will return tomorrow to report back to me. We will have to prepare our trip tomorrow, so make sure you all rest tonight early. You will need your energy for the following days." She leaves no room for discussion as she makes eye contact with everyone in the group, giving them a stern look. Watching Lexa in Heda-mode is incredibly hot and if it wasn't such a serious situation, I'd pull her back to our tent instantly. 

"And what are we gonna do today?" Raven questions.

"Train?" I suggest. "Raven, maybe you can start working on a screen for the radio so we can see them." 

"Good idea." Raven says as the others nod in agreement, and continue to eat their breakfast in silence again. We finish quickly and I get up to clean the dishes. When I get back, Octavia and Lincoln have already left to train along with Indra and Ryder, leaving Raven, Bellamy, Anya, Lexa and I alone with the other guards and some other Skaikru kids. Bellamy leaves us as well, deciding to send out a hunting party again. 

"I can train some Skaikru kids with the guards if they would like?" Anya offers. 

I smile widely. I know Anya isn't fond of my people, but at least she tries to get along with them. She does get along with Raven extremely well, and she doesn't seem to mind Octavia either, so that's a start. 

"That's a good idea." I respond. Anya nods and turns to talk to some kids who seem to be enthusiastic. "Go easy on them!" I call out as they walk off. She knows I mean it, not everyone will be able to handle her training. 

"I hate to see her leave, but love to watch her go." Raven murmurs, staring at Anya as she walks off. I punch her arm, snapping her out of her gaze while Lexa looks confused and raises an eyebrow at us. "I'll explain later." I mumble. Lexa nods at me and gives me small smile. 

Raven rubs her arm and smirks at me. "Whatever Princess." She chuckles. "I'll be in my workroom if you need me." She nods at Lexa and salutes me while grinning widely as she walks away. I sigh and shake my head fondly. Raven is one of a kind. 

I turn to Lexa who is watching me with loving eyes. I smile instantly and kiss her cheek. "Let's go train, Commander Heart-eyes." I say teasingly. 

Lexa rolls her eyes while her smile grows and nods at me. "Of course hodnes (love)." I beam at the pet-name.

We head over to the training-grounds where the others are training. A few kids Anya is training seem to be exhausted already. Poor kids. 

Lexa and I decide to use a more secluded area of the training-grounds, not really wanting all the attention. I know Lexa loves to show off, just like I do, but right now we don't need the entire camp watching us. But knowing how fascinating Lexa can fight (and I'm not so bad myself either), I'm pretty sure we'll be gathering a crowd anyway.

"Swords or sticks?" Lexa asks once we're at the training-grounds. 

I shrug. "Your choice." I smile at her.

"Swords it is." Lexa says, grinning widely. I know how much she loves fighting with swords and she is extremely good with them as well, and I know she'll make sure not to stab me or something.

I nod at her and smile fondly, grabbing my swords and getting ready in my position. Lexa unsheathes her swords and gets in her position as well. She stares at me intently while twirling her swords in her hands absentmindedly. It's one of her habits which makes her look even more intimidating but it's also extremely hot.

We nod and start circling each other, testing each other's patience. I know Lexa's patience is infinite, so I charge first, swinging my swords in a familiar combo. Lexa blocks my attack easily and pushes back against my swords, making me take a step back. She nods in approval, letting me know I'm doing good. I swing at her again, this time faster and more powerful. Lexa dodges with ease and strikes back, swinging her swords around like they're an extension of herself. I recognise the combo and block her attack, the impact of her swords hitting mine causing me to grit my teeth. "Good." She breathes out. 

We part for a moment and circle each other again. I try not to pay attention to the sweat glistening on Lexa's neck. Focus Clarke. She wants to see what you're capable of. I charge at her again, using my own unique combinations of attacks. I barely miss her shoulder when she blocks my attacks, this time struggling more because she didn't expect this new combination. Lexa manages to hit me in my side, making me let out a quiet grunt in pain. Her eyes soften with worry and I give her a reassuring smile, letting her know I'm okay. 

I resume our deadly dance. Our bodies move fluidly, like we have been training for years together. The clashing sounds of our swords hitting each other fill the air.

Lexa charges, wielding her swords effortlessly. She hits my shoulder and kicks my sword out of my left hand. I grunt in pain but quickly continue, charging at her. I manage to hit her side somehow, causing Lexa to look at me proudly. She continues her flurry of attacks, focused on every movement she makes. I try to dodge but her attacks are too powerful and she is going too fast for me to handle. She hits my right hand, making me drop the other sword I was holding as well. Before I can react, Lexa gets behind me and kicks my feet out underneath me, causing me to drop on the ground. She points her swords at my throat and grins widely. "You did well, Skaiprisa." She says teasingly.

I let out a huff. "Not good enough." I murmur, looking up at her beautiful green eyes looking down at me. 

Lexa's grin softens and she sheathes her swords to help me back up. "Clarke, you are a good fighter. Not everyone is able to block my attacks, and you have not been training for long." She says reassuringly. I smile at her, a blush colouring my cheeks. 

"Damn Commander, I don't wanna make you mad!" Raven's voice calls out.

We look up at the crowd that has gathered to watch us fight and see Raven sitting on the fence surrounding the training-grounds. Lexa has a small smile playing on her lips as we walk over to Raven.

"That is a wise decision." Lexa says teasingly, making Raven and I chuckle. 

"I fixed up a screen for the radio, do you wanna test it out?" Raven says as she carefully gets down of the fence.

A huge grin appears on my face. "Hell yeah!" Raven chuckles and leads us to her workroom. I am practically squealing in happiness while following her, gently squeezing Lexa's hand while she watches me with loving eyes.

We step inside and flop down on the couch while Raven prepares the radio, flipping some switches and pressing buttons I don't know the use of. "Alright, it's good to go ladies." Raven rubs her hands together proudly. 

"Good to go? Where would we be going?" Lexa mumbles confused, cocking her head to the side. I chuckle. "It's an expression babe." I kiss her cheek and stand up, getting next to Raven in front of the screen, while Lexa joins me and takes my hand.

Raven flips a switch and the familiar sound of crackling comes through the radio. "Dr. Abby Griffin. This is Raven Reyes, please come in." 

"Hey Raven, I'm here. What's going on?" Mom's voice comes through after a moment. 

"Hey Miss G, just wanted to see if the visual connection I made will work. Turn your screen on." Raven responds. 

"Alright." 

I feel Lexa tense next to me while the screen flickers. I squeeze her hand and she relaxes slightly. The screen flickers for a few seconds before Mom's face appears, making me smile instantly. 

"Is it working? Ah, I can see you now. Hey Raven!" Mom smiles widely, not noticing me and Lexa yet. 

Raven grins back. "Hey Miss G, good to see you, and good to see it's working." She says proudly

Mom chuckles. "You're a genius Raven. How are you? Where's Clarke?" 

"I'm good." Raven says as she scoots over, smiling widely.

"Clarke! Oh my god! How are you? Is that Lexa?" Mom's face lights up, giving us a beaming smile. 

I chuckle and feel a grin creep up on my face. "Hey Mom, yes this is Lexa." 

"Hello Abby, it is good to see you." Lexa says, also smiling at my Mom. 

"It's good to see you too Heda." Mom says earnestly. "How's it going with you all?" 

"It's going pretty well, I'd say. The rest of Skaikru seem to pretty accepting of The Grounders and Anya has been training some kids, and we are gonna scout the reaper tunnels in 2 days." I answer.

"I hope Anya won't be to hard on the kids." Mom chuckles. "Are you sure your plan to take the mountain down is safe?" 

I clench my jaw. It's not safe, of course not. But we'll have to take risks if we want to take them down. "No." I mumble. "But we'll try to be as safe as we can, that's why we're gonna scout the tunnels first."

Mom sighs. "I know I can't talk you out of this, but please be careful okay?" 

"I will." I smile reassuringly. 

"I will protect Clarke and the others at all costs." Lexa speaks up. I blush and kiss her cheek.

"Thank you, Heda." Mom nods respectfully.

We end up talking to my mom for awhile. Apparently, the Ark is supposed to come down in a few days but they need Raven's help figuring out some problems first. By the time we're done talking, it's already time for dinner. We step outside and head over to the fire-pit where the others are already seated around the fire, except Lincoln and Octavia. 

"Where are Lincoln and Octavia?" I ask as I sit down with Lexa next to me. 

"I don't know, probably having fun in the woods." Anya shrugs. Bellamy scrunches his nose in disgust while we chuckle.

Monty starts handing out food to everyone and joins us. I accidentally let out a moan as I take a bite, making Lexa choke on nothing. 

Anya smirks and looks up. "What's the problem Heda? Don't tell me you don't like to hear her moan." She says teasingly. 

I blush deeply while Lexa glares at Anya. Raven bursts out in laughter and highfives Anya, while the others chuckle. Even Indra and the guards have an amused look on their face. Lexa and I glance at each other and quickly finish our food so we can get back to our tent, not wanting to get teased anymore. 

We bid everyone goodnight and walk back to our tent, our hands entwining. I hear a loud moan coming from the woods that sounds like Octavia, which makes us fasten up our pace and get to our tent quicker. 

We step inside and Lexa lets out a breath, letting her Commander-mode slip off again. I wrap my arms around her and feel myself relax instantly. "Do we have to wake up early?" I ask hesitantly, mumbling into her shoulder.

Lexa nods and chuckles. "Sha hodnes (Yes love), my scouts will report back to me at sunrise. You do not have to wake up for that, but you will have to wake up shortly after." 

I groan and look at her. "I will go with you to meet your scouts." I murmur.

Lexa nods and smiles fondly. "Very well, Skaiprisa." She gives me a short kiss and starts to undress. I take off my clothes as well and we crawl into bed, curling up against Lexa's side. She kisses my forehead and wraps her arms around me. I close my eyes, falling asleep almost instantly while nuzzling myself against Lexa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up a lot sooner than this one, I promise.


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